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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


OFFICIAL  PROCEEDINGS 

OF  THE  SIXTEENTH  SESSION  OF  THE 

TRANS-MISSISSIPPI 

COMMERCIAL 

CONGRESS 


HELD  AT  PORTLAND,  OREGON 

AUGUST  16,  If,  18  <©»  19 

1905 


OFFICIAL  PROCEEDINGS 


OF  THE  SIXTEENTH  SESSION 
OF  THE 


Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress 


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HELD  AT 


PORTLAND,  OREGON 

August  16,  17,  18  and  19 

1905 


ARTHUR  F.  FRANCIS,  Secretary 

CRIPPLE  CREEK,  COLO. 

CHARLES  H.  SHOLES,  Official  Reporter 

PORTLAND,  OREGON 


Additional  Copies  of  Report  will  be  Supplied  on  Application  to 

Fred  W.  Fleming,  Chairman  Executive  Committee, 
Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Tom  Richardson,  Vice-Chairman 
Executive  Committee,  Portland,  Or.;  E.  R.  Moses, 
Chairman  Advisory  Committee,  Great  Bend,  Kansas, 
or  Arthur  F.  Francis,  Secretary,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo. 


1905 

GLASS  &  PRUDHOMME  COMPANY 
PORTLAND,  OREGON 


SESSIONS  OF  THE  CONGRESS  HAVE  BEEN  HELD  AS  FOLLOWS: 


Date 

City 

President 

First 

June,     1890 
May.     1891 
Oct.,      1891 
Feb..     1892 
April,    1893 
Feb.,     1894 
Nov.,     1894 
Nov..     1895 
July,      1897 
May.     1899 
April,    1900 
July,      1901 
Aug..     1902 
Aug.,     1903 
Oct.,      1904 
Aug..     1905 

Galveston,  Texas  

W.  M.  Fishback  

Arkansas 

Second 

Denver    Colorado 

E.  P.  Ferry 

Utah 

Third 

Omaha,  Neb. 

C.  S.  Thomas.    _ 

Colorado 

Fourth  
Fifth 

New  Orleans  La 

L.  Bradford  Prince  New  Mexico 
I  S  McConnell                           THnhn 

Ogden  Utah 

Sixth  

Seventh  
Eighth  
Ninth 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 

H.  R.  Whitmore 

Missouri 

St.  Louis,  Mo.  

Geo.  Q.  Cannon_ 

Utah 

Omaha,  Neb  

Wm.  Jennings  Bryan.. 

Nebraska 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah  
Wichita   Kansas 

Hugh  Craig  

California 

Tenth 

E   O  Stanard    . 

Missouri 

Eleventh  
Twelfth 

Houston,  Texas 

J.  R.  G.  Pitkin 

Louisiana 

Cripple  Creek,  Colo  
St  Paul   Minn 

Walter  Gresham 

Texas 

Thirteenth  .. 
Fourteenth  .. 
Fifteenth  
Sixteenth  

John  Henry  Smith 

Utah 

Seattle,  Wash.  

John  H.  Kirby  

Texas 

St  Louis  Mo 

Richard  C  Kerens 

Missouri 

Portland,  Or. 

Theo.  B.  Wilcox 

Oregon 

1  |','r    hAK'OKOI    1    I  II1UAUY 

T7 

Official  Roster  of  tne 
Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress        „, 

Seventeenth  Annual  Session  Meets  in  n, 

Kansas  City,  Missouri,  1906 


President — David  R.  Francis,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

First  Vice-President — H.  D.  Loveland,  San  Francisco,  California. 
Second  Vice-President — L.  Bradford  Prince,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Third  Vice-President — N.   G.   Larimore,  Larimore,  N.  D. 
Fourth   Vice-President — C.   A.   Fellows,  Topeka,   Kan. 
Secretary — Arthur   F.   Francis,   Cripple   Creek,   Colo. 
Treasurer — F.  B.  Topping,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

Fred  W.  Fleming,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  Chairman;  Tom  Richardson, 
Portland,  Ore.,  Vice-Chairman. 

ADVISORY  COMMITTEE. 

E.  R.  Moses,  Great  Bend,  Kan.,  Chairman;  John  Henry  Smith,  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  Vice-Chairman;  H.  R.  Whitmore,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Ben- 
jamin F.  Beardsley,  St.  Paul,  Minn.;  H.  M.  Mayo,  New  Orleans,  La. 

CONGRESSIONAL   COMMITTEE. 

Theo.  B.  Wilcox,  Portland,  Ore.,  Chairman;  J.  H.  Richards,  Boise, 
Idaho;  Herbert  Strain,  Great  Falls,  Mont.;  Ed.  F.  Harris,  Galveston, 
Tex.;  H.  P.  Wood,  San  Diego,  Cal.;  Fred  W.  Fleming,  Kansas  City,  Mo.; 
Edward  H.  Hunter,  Des  Moines,  la. 

VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

Alaska— William  A.  Kelly,  Sitka. 

Arkansas — C.   C.  Reid,  Morrillton. 

Arizona — Walter  Talbot,   Phoenix. 

California — E.  H.   Benjamin,  San  Francisco.  * 

Colorado — Mitchell  Benedict,  Denver. 

Iowa — J.   L.   Kamrar,  Webster   City. 

Idaho — John  B.  Morris,  Lewiston. 

Indian  Territory — Henry  J.  Keller,  South  McAlester. 

Kansas — John  E.  Frost,  Topeka. 

Louisiana — J.  S.  Dixon,  Natchitoches. 

Minnesota — H.  E.  Hutchings,  St.  Paul. 

Montana — David  G.  Browne,  Fort  Benton. 

Missouri — Hon.  John  W.  Noble,  St.  Louis. 

Nebraska — Henry  T.  Clarke,  Omaha. 

Nevada — E.  L.  Williams,  Reno. 

New  Mexico — G.  R.  Engledow,  Raton. 

North  Dakota — N.  G.  Larimore,  Larimore. 

Oklahoma — C.  G.  Jones,  Oklahoma  City. 

Oregon — E.  L.  Smith,  Hood  River. 

South  Dakota — Wesley  A.   Stuart,   Sturgis. 

Texas — D.  D.  Peden,  Houston. 

Utah— Wm.  N.  Williams,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Washington — Hon.  Albert  H.  Mead,  Olympia. 

Wyoming — Fennimore  Chatterton,  Cheyenne. 


MEMBERS  OF  EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE. 

Alaska — Edward  DeGroff,  Sitka,  one-year  term;  R.  H.  Kemp,  Skag- 
way,  two-year  term. 

Arkansas — J.  L.  Carraway,  Little  Rock,  one-year  term;   George  R. 
Brown,  Little  Rock,  two-year  term. 

Arizona — John  Mets,  one-year  term;  J.  W.  Benham,  Phoenix,  two- 
year  term. 

California — H.  D.  Loveland,  San  Francisco,  one-year  term;  Rufus  P. 
Jennings,  San  Francisco,  two-year  term. 

Colorado — Charles    A.    Stokes,    Denver,    one-year    term;    Arthur    F. 
Francis,  Cripple  Creek,  two-year  term. 

Iowa — A.  E.  Johnston,  Keokuk,  one-year  term;  E.  H.  Hunter,  Des 
Moines,  two-year  term. 

Idaho — James  H.  Hawley,  Boise,  one-year  term;  J.  R.  Good,  Boise, 
two-year  term. 

Indian  Territory — W.   F.  Whittington,  Ardmore,   one-year  term;   J. 
G.  Rucker,  Claremore,  two-year  term. 

Kansas — E.  R.  Moses,  Great  Bend,  one-year  term;  E.  E.  Hoffman, 
Leavenworth,  two-year  term. 

Louisiana — Charles  K.  Fuqua,  Baton  Rouge,  one-year  term;  H.  M. 
Mayo,  New  Orleans,  two-year  term. 

Minnesota — John    Stees,    St.    Paul,    one-year   term;    John    Kingsley, 
St.  Paul,  two-year  term. 

Montana! — Alexander    Burrell,    Marysville,    one-year    term;    Herbert 
Strain,  Great  Falls,  two-year  term. 

Missouri — H.    R.    Whitmore,    St.    Louis,    one-year    term;    Fred    W. 
Fleming,  Kansas  City,  two-year  term. 

Nebraska — Joseph  Hayden,  Omaha,  one-year  term;  C.  B.  Anderson, 
Crete,   two-year   term. 

Nevada — H.  E.  Freudenthal,  Pioche,  one-year  term;  A.  H,  Manning, 
Reno,  two-year  term. 

New  Mexico — L.  Bradford  Prince,  Santa  Fe,  one-year  term;  G.  R. 
Engledow,  Raton,  two-year  term. 

North  Dakota — H.  C.  Plumley,  Fargo,  one-year  term;  W.  N.  Steele, 
Rolla,  two-year  term. 

Oklahoma — Geo.   Sohlberg,  Oklahoma,  one-year  term;  J.  H.  John- 
ston, Oklahoma  City,  two-year  term. 

Oregon — Herman  Wittenberg,  Portland,  one-year  term;  Tom  Rich- 
ardson, Portland,  two-year  term. 

South  Dakota — Thos.  W.  LaFleiche,  Belle  Fourche,  one-year  term; 
Homer  Johnson,  Armour,  two-year  term. 

Texas — D.  Woodhead,   Houston,   one-year  term;   T.   S.   Reed,   Beau- 
mont, two-year  term. 

Utah — L.  W.   Shurtliff,   Ogden,  one-year  term;   Geo.   Romney,   Salt 
Lake  City,  two-year  term. 

Washington — A.  L.  Black,  Bellingham,  one-year  term;  J.  R.  Steven- 
son, Pomerpy,  two-year  term. 

Wyoming — E.  L.  Emery,  Rock  Springs,  one-year  term;  W.  J.  Thorn, 
Buffalo,  two-year  term. 

National  Travelers'  Protective  Association — John  S.  Beall,  Portland, 
Ore.,  one-year  term;  C.  W.  Ransom,  Portland,  Ore.,  two-year  term. 

United  Commercial  Travelers — Watt  R.  Sheldon,  Denver,  Colo.,  two- 
year  term. 


BY-LAWS  AND  RULES. 


(Revised   at   Portland,   Ore.,   1905.) 

The  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial!  Congress,  organized  for  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  the  commercial  interests  of  the  states  and  territories, 
in  whole  or  in  part,  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  has  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing rules  and  regulations  for  its  government: 

ARTICLE  I— MEMBERS. 

1.  Any  resident  of  the  territory  named  may  become  a  member  of 
the  Congress,  on  application  to  and  approval  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
by  the  payment  to  the  Chairman  of  said  committee  of  the  sum  of  five 
dollars  ($5.00)  annually,  and  such  members  shall  be  accredited  to  their 
respective  states  or  territories. 

2.  Representation   shall   be   confined   to   the   states    and   territories 
situated  wholly  or  in  part  west  of  the  Mississippi  river. 

Every  business  organization  shall  be  entitled  to  appoint  one  dele- 
gate, and  an  additional  delegate  for  every  fifty  members.  The  mayor  of 
each  city  or  town  and  the  executive  officers  of  each  county  may  appoint 
one  delegate  for  every  5,000  inhabitants;  but  no  business  organization, 
city  or  town,  shall  have  more  than  ten  (10)  delegates.  The  governor  of 
each  state  and  territory  may  appoint  ten  (10)  delegates.  The  governors 
of  states  and  territories,  members  of  the  United  States  congress,  and 
ex-Presidents  of  this  Congress  are  ex-officio  members,  with  all  the  priv- 
ileges of  members,  except  those  of  voting  and  election  to  office. 

3.  The  Executive  Committee  is  authorized  to  extend  invitations  to 
any  person  to  attend  any  session  of  the  Congress,  and  to  take  part  in 
its  discussions;  such  persons  shall  have  all  the  privileges  of  delegates, 
except  those  of  voting  and  election  to  office.     The  names  and  addresses 
of  all  persons  thus  invited  must  be  reported  to  the  Congress  at  its  open- 
ing session. 

4.  The  United  Commercial  Travelers  and  the  Travelers'  Protective 
Association  shall  each  have  all  the  rights  and  representation  of  a  state 
or  territory. 

ARTICLE   II— MEETINGS. 

1.  The  annual  meetings  of  the  Congress  shall  be  held  at  such  place 
and  time  as  are  fixed  at  the  previous  session,  or  the  time  may  be  left 
by  the  Congress  to  be  fixed  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

2.  The  Secretary  shall  keep  a  register  of  the  names  and  addresses 
of  all  members  and  of  all  delegates  of  whose  appointment  he  is  officially 
advised,  showing  by  whom  such  appointment  has  been  made,  and  such 
register  shall  be  accepted  by  the  Congress  as  the  official  list  of  members 
and  duly  accredited  delegates. 


6-  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

3.  Each  member  of  the  Congress  shall  be  entitled  to  one  vote,  pro- 
vided that  no  state  or  territory  shall  cast  more  than  thirty  votes;  if  more 
than  thirty  members  are  present,  each  shall  be  entitled  to  his  fractional 
part  of  said  thirty  votes;  when  a  state  or  territory  shall  be  represented 
by  less  than  ten  members,  it  shall  be  entitled  to  ten  votes. 

ARTICLE  III— OFFICERS. 

1.  The  officers  of  this   Congress  shall  be  a  President,  four  Vice- 
Presidents  at  large,  a  Secretary  and  a  Treasurer,  to  be  elected  by  the 
Congress  at  each  session,  and  to  hold  office  until  their  successors  are 
elected;  and  a  Vice-President  from  each  state  and  territory,  to  be  elected 
as  hereinafter  provided. 

2.  The  annual  election  of  officers  shall  take  place  at  the  opening  of 
the  session  on  the  last  day  of  the  Congress,  and  the  officers  shall  be  in- 
augurated during  said  day,  and  shall  hold  office  until  the  inaguration  of 
their  successors  on  the  last  day  of  the  succeeding  Congress. 

3.  The  duties  of  the  officers   shall  be  those  usually  pertaining  to 
their  positions.     The  President  shall  preside  at  all  meetings,  and  in  his 
absence  the  Vice-Presidents   shall  preside  in  the  order  of  their  prece- 
dence.    The  Treasurer  may  be  called  upon  to  furnish  a  bond,  by  require- 
ment of  the  Congress  or  its  Executive  Committee. 

ARTICLE  IV— COMMITTEES. 

1.  The  committees  of  the  Congress  shall  be  as  follows: 
Committee  on  Permanent  Organization. 

Committee  on  Resolutions. 
Executive  Committee. 
Advisory  Board. 
Congressional  Committee. 

2.  The  Committee  on  Permanent  Organization  shall  consist  of  one 
member  from  each  state  and  territory. 

The  Committee  on  Resolutions  shall  consist  of  two  members  from 
each  state  and  territory. 

The  Executive  Committee  shall  consist  of  the  seven  general  officers 
and  two  members  from  each  state  and  territory,  one  of  whom  shall  be 
elected  each  year. 

The  Advisory  Board  shall  consist  of  five  members,  to  be  appointed 
by  the  President  or  Congress  during  its  session,  or  by  the  Executive 
Committee  thereafter. 

The  Congressional  Committee  shall  consist  of  five  members,  to  be 
appointed  by  the  President  or  Congress  during  its  session,  or  by  the 
Executive  Committee  thereafter.  This  committee  shall  be  appointed  at 
the  Congress  held  in  each  odd  numbered  year,  and  shall  hold  office  for 
two  years. 

3.  At  the  afternoon  session  of  the  first  day  of  each  annual  meeting 
the  members  present  from  each  state  and  territory  shall  present  names 
for  the  following  positions. 

1.  A  State  Vice-President  of  the  Congress. 

2.  One  member  of  the  Committee  on   Permanent  Organization. 

3.  Two  members  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions. 

At  any  time  before  the  last  day  of  the  session  they  shall  present  the 
name  of  one  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  to  serve  for  two  years. 

4.  The  Executive  Committee  shall  have  general  charge  of  the  work 
and  interests  of  the  Congress,  during  its  recess,  and  unless   otherwise 
ordered  by  the  Congress,  shall  act  as  a  Committee  on  Order  of  Business 

unng  its  sessions.     It  shall  have  control  of  the  funds  of  the  Congress, 
but  no  obligation  shall  be  incurred  beyond  the  amount  of  unappropri- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  7 

ated  funds  in  the  treasury.  It  shall  elect  its  own  chairman,  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  Congress  shall  be  its  Secretary.  It  shall  have  power 
to  fill  all  vacancies  among  officers  or  committees  occurring  while  the 
Congress  is  not  in  session. 

5.  The  duties  of  the  Committee  on  Permanent  Organization  shall 
be  to  nominate  the  seven  general  officers,  before  the  end  of  the  third 
day  of  the  annual  session. 

6.  The  Committee  on  Resolutions  shall  receive  all  resolutions  that 
are  introduced,  and  report  all  such  as  in  its  opinion  should  receive  the 
favorable  consideration  of  the  Congress  as  promptly  as  practicable. 

7.  The  Advisory  Board  may  be  consulted  at  all  times  by  the   of- 
ficers or  the   Executive   Committee   of  the   Congress. 

8.  The   Congressional   Committee   shall   bring   to   the   attention   of 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  or  officials  of  the  Government,  per- 
sonally, if  possible,  all  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Congress  which  require 
action  from  the  United  States  congress  or  such  officials.    ' 

ARTICLE  V— RULES. 

1.  The  sessions  of  the  Congress  shall  open  at  10  a.  m.,  2  p.  m.  and 
7:30  p.  m.,  unless  otherwise  determined  by  the  Congress. 

2.  Cushing's  Manual  shall  govern  the  deliberations  of  the  Congress. 

3.  All  resolutions  shall  be  submitted  in  writing  in  duplicate,  with 
name  of  mover  and  of  state  to  which  he  belongs,  and  shall  be  referred 
to  the   Committee  on   Resolutions  without  debate,  but  the  mover  shall 
be  allowed  three  minutes  for  explanation,  if  desired.     The  duplicate  copy 
shall  be  retained  by  the  Secretary. 

4.  No  subject,  which  has  been  made  a  party  issue  in  politics,  shall 
be  placed  on  the  program,  nor  shall  any  resolution  referring  to  any  such 
subject  be  considered. 

5.  On  the  report  of  each  resolution  it  shall  be  open  to  debate,  the 
introducer  being  allowed  to  open  the  discussion,  and  no  member  to  speak 
more  than  twice.     The  opening  speech  shall  be  limited  to  ten  minutes, 
and  all  others  to  five  minutes  each. 

6.  Papers  and  addresses  made  shall  be  limited  to  twenty  minutes. 

ARTICLE  VI— ORDER   OF   BUSINESS. 

The  order  of  business  at  each  daily  session  shall  be  as  follows,  unless 
otherwise  ordered: 

1.  Introduction  of  resolutions. 

2.  Reports  of  committees. 

3.  Discussion  and  vote  on  committee  reports. 

4.  Reading  of  papers  or  addresses  on  subjects  named  in  program. 

5.  Miscellaneous. 

Selection  of  place  for  holding  next  convention,  special  for  4  o'clock 
next  to  last  day  of  session. 

ARTICLE  VII— AMENDMENTS. 

These  rules  and  regulations  may  be  amended  by  a  majority  vote  of 
the  Congress,  after  one  day's  notice  of  the  proposed  amendment. 


REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 


OFFICIAL  CALL. 

To  the  Governors  of  States  and  Territories,  Mayors  of  Cities,  Boards 
of  County  Commissioners,  Chambers  of  Commerce,  Boards  of 
Trades,  Industrial,  Mercantile,  Maritime,  and  Kindred  Organi- 
zations: 

The  Sixteenth  Session  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Con- 
gress is  hereby  called,  to  meet  at  the  Auditorium,  Lewis  and  Clark  Ex- 
position Grounds,  Portland,  Oregon,  August  16,  17,  18  and  19,  1905. 

THE  LEWIS  AND  CLARK  EXPOSITION. 

In  making  this  announcement  the  Executive  Committee  directs  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  will 
convene  in  Portland  during  the  Exposition  which  is  held  to  commem- 
orate the  Lewis  and  Clark  occupation,  an  event  which  saved  to  the 
nation  the  great  "Oregon  Country,"  from  which  are  carved  the  states 
of  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho  and  parts  of  Montana  and  Wyoming, 
forming  the  northwest  jurisdiction  of  the  Congress.  The  inspiration 
out  of  which  has  grown  this  splendid  Exposition  met  the  hearty  in- 
dorsement of  previous  sessions  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commerical 
Congress,  and  the  Executive  Committee  requests  that  the  commercial, 
industrial  and  maritime  bodies  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  take  this 
opportunity  of  displaying  effectively  to  the  people  of  the  Pacific  North- 
west and  the  whole  country  their  deep  interest  and  appreciation  by  co- 
operating with  the  Executive  Committee  in  making  the  sixteenth  ses- 
sion of  the  Congress  a  great  success. 

TRANS-MISSISSIPPI  STATES  AND  THE  PACIFIC  TRADE. 

The  great  importance  of  the  Far  East  as  a  field  for  commercial 
expansion,  and  the  contiguity  of  the  states  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  re- 
gion to  the  new  markets,  into  which  the  nations  of  the  world  are  now 
entering  with  activity,  forces  itself  with  renewed  demand  upon  the  at- 
tention of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress.  As  this  organi- 
zation, comprised  of  delegates  from  the  commercial,  industrial  and 
maritime  associations,  is  vitally  interested  in  everything  that  enhances 
the  commercial  possibilities  of  the  states  and  territories  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  and  as  the  trade  relations  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Oriental  countries  require  most  vigorous  exploitation,  to  the 
end  that  the  question  may  be  exhaustively  considered  and  right  con- 
clusions formed  as  to  the  best  methods  to  be  adopted  that  the  states 
of  the  Trans-Mississippi  region  may  enjoy  the  commercial  advantages 
to  which  they  are  entitled  by  reason  of  their  contiguity  and  their  ability 
to  supply  the  demands  of  that  trade,  the  Executive  Committee  earnestly 
urges  this  question  upon  the  serious  consideration  of  the  Congress: 

DEPARTMENT  OF  MINES  AND  MINING. 

The  Executive  Committee  would  also  direct  attention  to  the  in- 
creasing demand  for  a  Department  of  Mines  and  Mining,  with  its  head 
a  member  of  the  cabinet  of  the  United  States.  Special  efforts  are  re- 
quested in  behalf  of  this  measure,  which  has  from  time  to  time  been 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  national  congress  by  the  executive  of- 
ficers of  this  organization  with  partial  success. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  9 

SUBJECTS  FOR  DISCUSSION. 

Among  other  matters  upon  which  discussions  and  recommendations 
will  be  required  are: 

(1)  The  improvement  of  rivers,  harbors  and  waterways.  (2)  The 
union  of  interests  between  Pacific  Coast  ports  and  ports  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  (3)  The  isthmian  canal  and  its  effect  upon  commerce.  (4)  The 
merchant  marine.  (5)  The  consular  service.  (6)  'Statehood  of  the  ter- 
ritories. (7)  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  and  the  betterment  of 
rail  and  water  transportation.  (8)  Preservation  of  the  forests.  (9)  Co- 
operation in  laws  governing  waterways,  irrigation  and  mining  between 
the  United  States,  Mexico  and  Canada.  (10)  Encouragement  of  home 
manufacturers.  (11)  Expositions  and  their  influence  upon  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country.  (12)  Technical  schools  and  experimental  stations 
for  the  west.  (13)  American  scenery  and  its  effect  upon  travel. 
(14)  Alaska.  (15)  Livestock  interests  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  region. 
(16)  The  necessity  of  differentials  favoring  Pacific  Coast  ports  in  the 
building  of  naval  vessels.  (17)  Parcels  post.  (18)  Good  roads.  (19)  Ir- 
rigation and  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands. 

Any  question  germane  to  the  objects  of  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress  may  be  introduced  by  any  delegate,  but  it  is  the 
desire  of  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  to  confine  discussion 
to  subjects  of  general  interest,  and  to  exclude  those  which  are  of  a  po- 
litical nature. 

REPRESENTATION. 

The  governor  of  each  state  and  territory  may  appoint  ten  delegates, 
and  not  more  than  twenty  delegates. 

The  mayor  of  each  city,  one  delegate  and  one  additional  delegate 
for  each  5,000  inhabitants;  provided,  however,  that  no  city  shall  have 
more  than  ten  delegates. 

Each  county  may  appoint  one  delegate  through  its  executive  of- 
ficer. 

Each  business  organization,  one  delegate  and  one  additional  dele- 
gate for  every  fifty  members;  provided,  however,  that  no  such  organiza- 
tion shall  have  more  than  ten  delegates. 

Governors  of  states  and  territories,  members  of  the  congress  of  the 
United  States,  a,nd  ex-Presidents  of  this  Congress  are  ex  officio  mem- 
bers, with  all  the  privileges  of  delegates  except  voting. 

Permanent  members  have  all  the  privileges  of  delegates. 

RUFUS  P.  JENNINGS,  Chairman. 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 
TOM  RICHARDSON,  Vice-Chairman, 

Portland,  Or. 
ARTHUR  F.  FRANCIS,  Secretary, 

Cripple  Creek,   Colo. 

Approved:     THEO.    B.   WILCOX,    President, 
Portland,    Or. 


10  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 


RESOLUTION. 

Recommendations  to  the  national  congress  adopted  by  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  in  sixteenth  annual  session  at 
Portland,  Oregon,  August  19-24,  1905. 

Be  it  Resolved,  by  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commerical  Congress, 
composed  of  representatives  from  the  several  states  and  territories  be- 
tween the  Mississippi  river  and  the  Pacific  coast,  at  its  sixteenth  annual 
session,  assembled  in  the  City  of  Portland,  Or.,  as  follows: 

RIVERS  AND  HARBORS. 

We  earnestly  recommend  liberal  appropriations  under  continuing 
contracts  by  the  federal  government  for  the  improvement  of  the  harbors 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Pacific  coast.  The  largely  increasing 
trade  with  Central  and  South  America  and  the  Orient  renders  a  more 
liberal  policy  towards  these  ports  on  the  part  of  the  national  govern 
ment,  imperatively  necessary. 

The  deep  draft  of  the  vessels  in  which  the  commerce  of  the  world 
is  now  most  economically  carried  makes  it  important  that  the  Galveston 
harbor  should  have  a  uniform  depth  of  not  less  than  35  feet  of  water 
at  mean  low  tide,  with  a  width  and  extension  commensurate  with  its 
growing  importance.  The  same  recommendation  is  made  with  refer- 
ence to  the  improvement  of  the  harbors  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

The  jetty  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river  ought  to  be  completed 
according  to  the  plans  of  the  government  engineers,  in  order  that  the 
products  of  the  Northwestern  country  may  find  a  convenient  highway  to 
the  markets  of  the  world. 

In  harmony  with  past  declarations  of  this  body,  we  declare  that 
it  is  the  plain  duty  of  the  national  government  to  take  hold  of  the  im- 
portant question  of  river  improvement  and  flood  control  in  a,n  earnest 
and  broad-gauge  manner.  The  cost  of  necessary  improvements  to  pre- 
vent the  continued  interruption  of  interstate  commerce  and  an  appall- 
ing loss  of  life  and  property,  should  be  met  by  the  national  government 
and  the  localities  affected  upon  an  equitable  basis.  The  permanent  im- 
provement of  the  great  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers  and  their  navi- 
gable tributaries  ought  to  be  an  object  of  national  concern.  The  con- 
ditions at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Kansas  City  and  East  St.  Louis,  where 
commercial  and  transportation  interests  of  the  greatest  magnitude  are 
frequently  menaced  by  devastating  river  floods,  emphasizes  the  na- 
tional importance  of  this  question. 

We  earnestly  favor  a  liberal  policy  on  the  part  of  congress  in  ap- 
propriating money  for  the  permanent  improvement  of  the  navigable 
waterways  of  the  country,  thereby  decreasing  the  cost  of  transportation 
on  the  products  of  the  farm,  ranch  and  factory,  and  increasing  the  gen- 
eral prosperity  of  the  nation. 

COAST  FORTIFICATIONS. 

We  recommend  that  an  additional  naval  station  be  immediately 
constructed  on  the  Pacific  coast  at  some  point  near  the  Mexican  border 
to  be  selected  by  the  Navy  Department. 

We  desire  to  direct  attention  of  the  national  government  to  the 
defenseless  condition  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and  urge  that  congress  make 
the  necessary  appropriation  to  carry  out  the  plans  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment for  adequate  coast  fortifications. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  11 

We  favor  the  protection  of  the  sea  wall  built  by  the  national  gov- 
ernment for  the  protection  of  its  property  at  the  port  of  Galveston,  in 
accordance  with  the  plans  of  the  United  States  engineers. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  MINES  AND  MINING. 

The  mining  industry  of  the  United  States  having  grown  to  such 
proportions  and  importance,  and  being  capable  of  such  vast  develop- 
ment if  properly  fostered  by  the  government,  we  heartily  favor  the  es- 
tablishment by  an  act  of  congress  of  a  national  department  of  mines 
and  mining. 

STATEHOOD  FOR  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  fundamental  principle  of  the  American  Republic  is  that  of 
self-government,  and  no  body  of  American  citizens  should  be  deprived 
of  that  right.  We  therefore  recommend  the  early  admission  of  all  of 
the  remaining  territories  as  states,  and  the  establishment  of  a  territorial 
form  of  government  for  Alaska. 

MERCHANT  MARINE. 

We  unqualifiedly  favor  the  progressive  national  policy  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States  of  fostering  and  building  up  an  American  merchant 
marine  by  every  available  means,  and  respectfully  urge  upon  the  con- 
sideration of  congress  the  national  importance  of  this  question  in  the 
development  of  our  foreign  trade. 

FOREST  RESERVES. 

We  indorse  and  approve  the  maintenance  of  forest  reserves  under 
just  and  reasonable  conditions.  We,  however,  urge  that  the  utmost 
caution  be  exercised  in  the  extension  of  the  present  reserves,  and  that 
no  further  extensions  be  made  without  due  regard  to  the  conditions 
and  rights  of  the  communities  affected  or  to  the  location  of  homesteads 
on  any  tracts,  large  or  small,  which  are  capable  of  cultivation;  and  we 
further  urge  the  repeal  of  all  laws,  and  orders  of  the  Interior  depart- 
ment, limiting  the  use  or  sale  of  the  timber  products  to  the  state  or 
territory  in  which  the  same  may  be  cut. 

IRRIGATION. 

This  Congress  desires  to  express  its  high  appreciation  of  the  na- 
tional irrigation  law,  and  hails  with  pleasure  the  opportunities  afforded 
under  its  beneficent  provisions  for  the  American  citizen  to  own  his  own 
home,  and  we  express  the  hope  that  the  several  governmental  enter- 
prises now  under  contemplation,  as  well  as  under  construction,  be  pushed 
to  a  speedy  and  successful  completion. 

We  declare  that  the  use  of  the  river  waters  of  the  trans-Mississippi 
states  is  of  vastly  greater  importance  when  applied  to  irrigation  th?n 
to  navigation,  and  hence  when  the  demands  of  irrigation  require  such 
a  volume  of  water  of  any  navigable  stream  as  to  render  it  less  navigable, 
such  conditions  should  not  be  permitted  to  interfere  in  any  manner  with 
the  prosecution  and  operation  of  any  irrigation  works. 

In  the  construction  of  river  improvements  to  aid  navigation  or  for 
the  control  of  flood  waters,  we  recommend  that  special  investigation 
be  given  to  the  practicability  of  the  construction  of  large  storage  reser- 
voirs so  as  to  store  the  waters  during  the  flood  season,  and  thus  mini- 
mize the  danger  of  flood  ravages  in  the  lower  portions  of  such  river  val- 
leys. 


12  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

INTERSTATE    COMMERCE. 

We  insist  upon  the  rigid  enforcement  of  existing  laws  as  the  proper 
remedy  for  the  unmixed  evil  of  rebates,  discrimination  in  freight  and 
express  rates,  and  special  privileges  to  private  car  lines,  by  railway 
companies. 

GOOD  ROADS. 

We  recommend  to  the  several  states  and  territories  the  adoption 
of  such  legislation  as  will  place  the  subject  of  permanent  public  road 
improvement  under  an  intelligent  and  uniform  state  and  county  super- 
vision. 

CONSULAR  SERVICE. 

We  again  earnestly  urge  such  a  thorough  organization  of  our  con- 
sular service  as  to  secure  the  most  efficient  service  to  our  business  in- 
terests; and  we  believe  that  this  can  be  best  accomplished  by  basing  ap- 
pointments upon  experience,  ability  and  character,  unbiased  by  any 
political  consideration,  thus  insuring  that  efficiency  which  is  only  at- 
tained by  extended  experience. 

PAN-AMERICAN  TRADE. 

We  indorse  the  proposed  Pan-American  Trade  College  or  College 
of  Commerce  upon  the  Gulf  Coast  of  Texas,  in  which  the  trade  usages, 
customs  and  language  of  the  Central  and  South  American  republics  shall 
be  exemplified  and  taught,  as  a  project  worthy  of  the  favorable  con- 
sideration of  the  congress  of  the  United  States. 

We  approve  of  the  calling  of  a  national  waterways  convention  to 
meet  in  Washington  in  the  early  part  of  1906,  and  recommend  to  the 
members  of  this  body  that  they  take  the  necessary  steps  to  secure  a 
representation  therein  from  their  respective  states  and  territories. 

We  wish  to  record  our  indorsement  of  the  Western  Immigration 
Congress,  as  proposed  by  the  State  Commercial  Association  of  Colorado. 

In  view  of  their  rapidly  increasing  export  trade,  we  strongly  urge 
that  San  Diego  and  San  Pedro,  Cal.,  be  made  ports  of  entry. 

We  earnestly  recommend  the  re-enactment  by  congress  of  the  law 
which  formerly  allowed  to  Pacific  coast  builders  of  naval  vessels  a 
differential  sufficient  to  enable  them  to  compete  upon  equal  terma  with 
builders  located  upon  the  Atlantic  coast. 

IMMIGRATION  LAWS. 

Our  foreign  trade  with  China  is  at  present  suspended,  and  Ameri- 
can vessels  are  unable  to  discharge  their  cargoes  at  Chinese  ports  and 
Hong  Kong  because  of  the  refusal  of  the  Chinese  to  handle  American 
products.  This  unsatisfactory  state  of  affairs  is  understood  to  have  been 
produced  by  the  improper  treatment  to  which  the  privileged  classes  of 
China  have  been  subjected  in  the  administration  of  our  laws  prohibiting 
the  admission  of  Chinese  laborers  to  the  United  States. 

There  are  now  seeking  admission  to  our  country  large  numbers  of 
persons  from  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa,  many  of  whom  are  undesirable 
and  cannot  be  admitted  without  endangering  the  high  standards  of 
American  citizenship;  therefore  we  respectfully  petition  the  President 
of  the  United  States  to,  if  deemed  expedient,  reiterate  his  instructions 
for  proper  treatment  of  the  privileged  classes  of  China,  to  ascertain 
through  the  proper  channels  the  reasons  for  the  present  boycott  and  to 
appoint  a  commission  to  investigate  and  report  to  congress,  with  recom- 
mendations for  a  comprehensive  immigration  law,  framed  to  remove  all 
unreasonable  restrictions,  but  to  exclude  from  the  United  States  and  our 
insular  possessions,  all  undesirable  persons  from  every  country. 


Sixteenth  Session 
Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress 

Held  in  the  Auditorium,  Lewis  and  Clark  Centennial 
Exposition  Grounds,  Portland,  Oregon 

August  16-19,  190$ 


FIRST  DAY'S  SESSION 

Music  by  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition  band. 

The  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  was  called  to  or- 
der by  Rufus  P.  Jennings,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  chairman  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee,  in  the  Auditorium  at  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Ex- 
position grounds,  August  16,  1905,  at  10  o'clock  a.  m. 

REV.  DR.  BROUGHER  was  introduced,  who  invoked  Divine  bless- 
ing upon  the  proceedings  of  the  Congress  in  the  following  words : 

INVOCATION. 

Almighty  God,  Our  Heavenly  Father,  we  thank  Thee  for  the  oc- 
casion that  brings  together  this  company  of  men  to  consider  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  the  great  west.  We  thank  Thee  that,  as  Thou  hast 
created  us,  that  it  is  in  Thee  we  move  and  live  and  have  our  being,  that 
as  Thou  has  given  us  opportunities  to  accomplish  that  for  which  Thou 
has  placed  us  in  the  world,  give  unto  those  who  shall  speak  in  this 
Congress  a  Divine  wisdom  that  shall  lead  them  to  adopt  measures  and 
policies  that  shall  be  in  harmony  with  Thy  will.  We  pray  for  the 
hastening  of  that  day  when  Thy  kingdom  shall  come  and  Thy  will  be 
done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  and  direct  all  these  conferences 
being  held  during  this  Fair,  that  the  outcome  of  them  all  may  be  the 
preservation  of  the  righteousness  in  the  business  world,  in  the  com- 
mercial world,  in  politics  and  in  all  the  affairs  and  activities  of  life,  we 
ask  for  Christ's  sake.  Amen. 

CHAIRMAN  JENNINGS: 

The  Executive  Committee  has  been  exceedingly  gratified 
at  the  general  and  ready  response  from  all  sections  of  the 
Trans-Mississippi  region  to  the  invitation  extended  for  the 
Sixteenth  Annual  Session  of  this  Congress.  Many  matters 


14  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

of  national  importance  will  be  brought  up.  The  prominence 
of  the  men  who  are  to  speak,  and  their  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
different  subjects  that  will  be  discussed,  is  a  guarantee  of  an  un- 
usually interesting  meeting.  We  were  fortunate  indeed  in  having 
as  president  of  this  Congress  a  man  who  has  been  successful  in 
those  things  he  has  undertaken  to  do,  and  one  who  has  proved  him- 
self to  be  a  leader  among  men.  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing 
our  President,  the  Honorable  Theodore  B.  Wilcox,  of  Oregon. 
(Great  applause.) 

MR.  WILCOX: 

ADDRESS   OF   PRESIDENT  WILCOX. 

Members  of  the  Congress,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen. — Owing  to  my  in- 
ability to  be  with  you  last  October  in  St.  Louis,  this  is  my  first  oppor- 
tunity to  thank  the  members  of  this  Congress  for  the  great  personal 
honor  and  distinction  they  conferred  upon  me  at  that  time  by  electing 
me  President  of  this  Congress.  And  yet  I  felt  that  it  was  done  more  as 
an  honor  to  the  State  of  Oregon  and  the  City  of  Portland  than  for  any 
personal  distinction  to  myself.  That  my  personality  has  been  employed 
in  bringing  to  our  city  and  state  at  this  time  this  splendid  body  of  repre- 
sentative men  from  the  Trans-Mississppi  region  is  honor  enough  for  a 
greater  man  than  I;  and  I  thank  you  not  only  for  my  electon  as  your 
President,  but  more,  far  more,  for  taking  the  time  and  trouble  to  come 
great  distances,  as  most  of  you  have  done,  to  be  present  at  this  Con- 
gress, and  to  discuss  the  various  interesting  subjects  with  which  we 
have  to  do.  And  although  addresses  of  welcome  to  our  state  and  to 
the  Northwest  will  be  made  here  today  by  Governor  Chamberlain,  of 
Oregon;  Governor  Mead,  of  Washington,  and  Mayor  Lane,  and  you 
will  also  be  welcomed  by  President  Goode,  of  this  magnificent  Expo- 
sition, I  want  to  say  to  you  as  a  citizen  of  Portland  that  while  our  latch- 
string  always  hangs  out  here  in  the  west,  the  latch  has  been  removed, 
and  the  door  to  our  hospitality  has  been  taken  from  the  hinges  and  laid 
away  while  you  remain  with  us.  (Great  applause.) 

The  Trans-Mississippi  region,  representing  two-thirds  of  the  ter- 
ritory covered  by  the  United  States,  nevertheless  lies  farthest  from 
those  points  where  our  ancestors  first  landed  on  the  shores  of  America. 

Scarce  fifty  years  have  passed  since  first  our  honored  pioneers 
braved  the  dangers  and  privations  of  frontier  life  to  earn  the  fortune, 
the  freedom  and  the  health  which  the  land  of  the  setting  sun  affords. 
And  as  yet  the  great  tracts  of  arable  land  are  but  sparsely  settled,  the 
treasures  of  the  mountain  side  but  barely  touched,  the  waste  places  are 
still  waste,  the  forests  still  stand,  and  the  magnificent  rivers 
remain  unsubdued  to  the  uses  of  mankind;  but  the  advancement 
that  has  been  made  justifies  the  hopes  of  the  pioneers  and  stimulates  us 
to  renewed  effort  day  by  day.  Our  needs  are  many  and  our  merits  are 
great;  but  our  population  is  sparse,  our  wealth  but  limited,  and  our 
importance  singly  in  the  halls  of  government  small  and  unavailing. 
What,  then,  is  there  for  us  to  do,  but  combine  our' influences  and  work 
together  by  all  fair  and  honorable  means  for  the  things  we  need?  For 
the  improvement  of  our  waterways,  for  good  land  and  mining  laws,  for 
irrigation  of  the  arid  lands,  for  our  livestock  interests,  for  the  isthmian 
canal,  for  Oriental  markets,  for  statehood  for  our  territories  and  a  com- 
plete territorial  government  for  Alaska  (applause),  for  all  the  things 
we  need  to  advance  the  interests  of  our  particular  states  or  sections, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  15 

and  to  make  the  Trans-Mississippi  region  as  a  whole,  great  in  wealth 
and  influence  as  it  is  in  territorial  extent. 

And  yet,  my  friends,  we  are  but  a  part  of  one  great  whole.  As  I 
hear  the  gentleman  from  California  extol  the  wondrous  beauties  of  that 
great  state,  her  great  expanse  and  the  mass  and  variety  of  her  products; 
the  gentleman  from  Texas  dilate  upon  the  extent  of  their  cotton  crop  and 
livestock  output  of  that  empire  by  itself;  the  gentleman  from  Wyoming, 
who  tells  of  the  great  wealth  of  her  coal  and  metal  and  the  vast  herds 
that  roam  her  hills,  I  feel  that  while  individual  effort  is  everywhere  mak- 
ing each  section  stand  for  itself,  exploiting  its  own  peculiar  attractions, 
and  thus  each  is  aiming  to  be  only  a  bright  particular  star  in  that  constel- 
lation which  is  today  and  must  forever  be  the  greatest  nation  on  earth, 
the  greatest  on  land  and  on  the  seas,  the  greatest  on  the  Pacific  as  well 
as  on  the  Atlantic.  (Great  applause.) 

In  the  early  days  of  your  organization  one  of  the  principal  objects 
of  your  efforts  was  improved  waterways  in  the  west.  By  your  com- 
bined influences  you  have  long  ago  given  the  City  of  Galveston  govern- 
mental aid  to  produce  a  deep-water  harbor,  which,  by  shortening  and 
cheapening  the  route  from  the  middle  west  to  the  markets  of  the  world, 
has  produced  lower  freight  rates  and  greater  profits  to  the  producers, 
until  Galveston  stands  third  in  the  list  of  American  ports.  You  have 
afforded  a  waterway  to  the  gulf  for  a  great  portion  of  the  state  of 
Texas,  formerly  limited  to  the  mercies  of  a  railroad;  you  have  improved 
the  Mississippi  and  its  great  port  at  New  Orleans,  and  you  have  pro- 
cured a  deep-water  harbor  at  San  Pedro,  and,  gentlemen,  with  your 
help  we  shall  deepen  the  lower  river  and  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
river  for  vessels  of  modern  type,  and  the  business  that  passes  back  and 
forth  (great  applause),  and  we  shall  also  remove  the  obstructions  to 
navigation  in  its  upper  reaches  just  as  far  into  the  interior  as  there  is 
water  enough  to  float  a  flat-bottomed  boat  or  a  ton  of  produce  paying 
a  railroad  two  prices  for  its  transportation.  (Great  applause.) 

The  reclamation  of  our  arid  lands  has  always  been  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal topics  to  engage  the  attention  of  this  body.  It  has  inspired  and 
aided  in  placing  upon  our  statute  books  the  irrigation  law,  which,  in  its 
fulfillment,  will  be  our  country's  crowning  glory.  To  take  the  waste 
parts  of  the  earth  and  subdue  them  to  man's  use  and  benefit;  to  make 
two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  nothing  grew  before;  to  make  some- 
thing out  of  nothing,  this  is  almost  creation,  a  sublime  achievement.  But 
the  importance  of  this  subject  has  been  recognized  in  a  separate  body 
similar  to  this,  an  organization  has  been  established  for  its  special  care 
and  maintenance. 

Contiguous  to  the  Orient  is  the  territory  we  represent,  nearer 
than  any  other  great  commercial  nation,  and  the  nearest  portion  of  our 
own  great  United  States,  it  is  eminently  fitting  that  one  of  our  topics 
for  discussion  in  all  its  various  phases,  and  from  all  the  various  view- 
points, should  be  the  universally  absorbing  topic  before  the  commercial 
world  of  today — Oriental  trade.  Several  addresses  will  be  delivered 
tomorrow  on  this  subject,  which,  I  think,  you  will  find  interesting,  per- 
haps instructive. 

Another  topic  which  will  occupy  our  attention  is  Alaska.  This 
great  territory,  purchased  from  Russia  in  1868,  by  that  far-seeing  sec- 
retary of  state,  Seward,  has  proven  a,  wise  and  profitable  investment  to 
our  people.  She  needs  our  influence  and  help,  and  I  bespeak  your  favor- 
able consideration  of  her  wishes.  Many  of  you  may  not  know  that  the 
territory  of  Alaska  is  equal  to  nearly  one-sixth  of  the  entire  United 
States;  that  the  Yukon  river  is  the  largest  river  flowing  into  the  Pacific, 
and  is  over  two  thousand  miles  long;  that  much  of  the  land  of  Alaska 
is  tillable  and  capable  of  supporting  population,  and  that  its  gold  output 
of  $700,000  in  1890  has  risen  to  nearly  $20,000,000  in  1904;  that  it  supplies 


16  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

from  its  waters  the  major  portion  of  the  salmon  of  commerce  today; 
that,  in  addition  to  her  great  mineral  wealth,  she  holds  the  future  coal 
supply  of  the  Pacific.  You  may  not  know  that  in  1896-97  she  proved  a 
haven  and  savior  to  many  an  unfortunate  from  the  states,  smitten  by 
the  hand  of  misfortune,  whose  only  capital  was  energy,  courage  and 
an  honest  desire  to  recoup  his  fortune  and  pay  his  debts.  You  may  not 
have  heard  that  out  of  the  gold  fields  of  Alaska  many  have  cpme  with 
the  horn  of  plenty  and  poured  its  rich  contents  into  the  prosperity  of  the 
Northwest;  but  these  things  are  true,  and  more,  and  in  the  years  to  come 
Alaska  will  be  a  mighty  power.  When  we  have  drawn  the  population 
from  the  crowded  centers  of  the  east  to  our  great  completed  and  per- 
fected Trans-Mississippi  region,  Alaska  will  be  the  west.  A  complete 
territorial  government  will  not  long  suffice  for  a  land  great  enough  and 
good  enough  to  make  three  more  stars  in  our  grand  constellation.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

I  cannot  close  without  referring  to  this  beautiful  Fair,  placed  here 
by  this  lakeside,  among  the  green  hills,  looking  out  upon  these  majestic 
snow-capped  mountains  and  great  stretches  of  river  and  landscape,  not 
alone  to  commemorate  the  achievements  of  the  past,  but  to  stimulate  our 
people  to  new  and  greater  endeavor  in  the  future,  and  while  it  stands 
as  a  monument  to  Lewis  and  Clark  and  all  those  later  pioneers  who 
utilized  their  discovery,  it  stands  equally  a  monument  to  the  public 
spirit  and  progressive  nature  of  the  west.  (Great  applause.) 

The  members  of  this  Congress  who  have  for  sixteen  years  labored 
and  traveled  without  compensation  or  emolument,  know  that  their  recom- 
mendations have  been  a  potent  factor  in  much  of  the  legislation  at 
Washington  affecting  the  material  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  west. 
We  have  been  met,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  by  the  men  of  the  east  and 
of  the  south,  with  a  spirit  of  helpfulness,  encouragement  and  co-opera- 
tion. They  have  harkened  to  our  petitions  in  Washington  with  a  ready 
ear,  a  willing  voice  and  hand,  and  the  west  is  receiving  today  and  has 
for  several  years,  its  share  of  national  aid  for  improvements.  But 
there  is  more  to  do  yet,  more  aid  to  be  sought  and  obtained,  and  this 
Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  representing  more  than  30,000,- 
000  of  people,  must  continue  its  work  unflaggingly  and  never  resting.  Its 
existence  depends  not  upon  the  pleasure  of  any  individual  nor  upon  any 
one  state,  but  upon  the  devotion  of  public-spirited  citizens,  who  are 
banded  together  for  mutual  benefit  by  every  fair,  just  and  honorable 
means  in  our  power,  and  your  sons  and  their  associates  will  continue  to 
work  with  my  sons  and  their  associates  long  after  you  and  I  are  gath- 
ered to  our  fathers,  and  until  this  great  west  shall  be  populated  with 
happy  homes  on  every  plain  and  hillside,  until  the  waste  places  shall 
be  made  to  blossom  and  to  bear,  and  until  the  center  of  population  in 
this  great  United  States  shall  be  moved  over  to  this  side  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river.  (Great  applause.) 

I  welcome  you  all  here  today,  and  I  congratulate  your  various  states 
and  the  American  people  that  in  these  days  of  selfish  greed  there  are  in 
every  state  and  territory  and  in  every  section  of  them,  men  who, 
prompted  by  patriotism,  will  work  for  the  upbuilding  and  betterment 
of  their  own  states  and  for  the  glory  of  our  common  country.  (Great 
applause.) 

Meeting  as  we  do,  gentlemen,  .within  the  limits  of  the  state  of  Ore- 
gon, it  is  fitting  that  you  should  be  welcomed  here — many  of  you  having 
come  from  without  the  state — by  a  man  whom  we  love  and  honor,  Gov- 
ernor Chamberlain,  of  Oregon,"  whom  I  now  have  the  pleasure  to  in- 
troduce. (Applause.) 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  17 

GOVERNOR  CHAMBERLAIN  then  addressed  the  Congress  as  fol- 
lows : 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  GEO.  E.  CHAMBERLAIN,  GOVERNOR  OF 

OREGON. 

Mr.  President  and  Members  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Con- 
gress.— I  take  pleasure  in  extending  to  you  a  most  cordial  welcome 
to  the  state  of  Oregon.  It  is  most  fitting  that  your  Congress  be 
held  in  this  city  and  upon  this  spot  at  this  particular  time,  where  is 
being  held  an  exposition  to  commemorate  the  achievements  of  Lewis 
and  Clark  and  the  statesmanship  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  It  was  near  the 
place  where  this  building  now  stands  that  Lewis  and  Clark  and  their 
sturdy  followers  rested  after  having  planted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  thereby  adding  to  the  domain  of  the 
United  States,  by  right  of  exploration  and  discovery,  a  territory  as  vast 
in  extent  as  it  is  rich  in  all  the  resources  that  tend  to  make  our  country 
the  greatest  of  the  earth.  Out  of  this  magnificent  domain  have  been 
carved  the  commonwealths  of  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho  and  parts 
of  Wyoming  and  Montana.  The  first  of  these  alone,  the  mother  of 
them  all,  is  larger  than  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  com- 
bined, whilst  Washington  is  larger  than  all  of  New  England  with  Dela- 
ware and  the  District  of  Columbia  added,  and  these  two  states  exceed 
by  four  thousand  square  miles  the  area  of  England,  Scotland,  Ireland, 
Wales,  Denmark  and  Holland,  which  maintain  a  population  of  more  than 
fifty  millions.  The  Oregon  Country  itself  is  equal  in  extent  to  the 
thirteen  original  states  of  the  Union,  with  their  population  of  thirty 
millions,  and  there  is  reason  to  'believe  and  hope  that  in  the  years  yet 
to  come  this  country  will  boast  a  population  that  exceeds  the  present 
population  of  all  New  England.  Not  only  Oregon,  therefore,  but  all 
the  Oregon  Country  and  the  Pacific  coast,  feel  honored  by  the  selec- 
tion of  this  city  for  your  place  of  meeting,  and  all  unite  in  extending  to 
you  a  most  cordial  welcome. 

The  needs  of  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  the 
necessity  of  united  action  to  accomplish  them  first  gave  birth  to  the  idea 
of  organizing  a  congress  of  representatives  from  all  of  that  section,  and 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  development  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  country 
in  wealth,  both  commercial  and  industrial,  has  been  greatly  hastened 
by  the  discussions  which  have  been  had  'in  and  the  efforts  which  have 
been  made  by  the  several  sessions  of  your  Congress. 

On  all  questions  that  vitally  affect  the  vast  territory  which  lies 
between  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  east  and  the  Pacific  ocean  on  the 
west,  our  senators  and  representatives  in  congress  have  usually  been 
able  to  act  in  perfect  harmony,  without  regard  to  politics  or  party,  and 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  but  for  this  unity  of  interest  and  of  action  the 
reclamation  of  the  semi-arid  lands,  which  form  so  large  a  part  of  our 
domain,  would  have  been  postponed  indefinitely,  or  would  have  been 
delayed  so  long  that  the  development  of  the  country  must  of  necessity 
have  been  retarded  for  a  long  term  of  years,  whilst  improvements  of 
our  rivers  and  harbors  would  have  been  delayed  indefinitely  at  the  ex- 
pense of  our  commerce.  Until  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress 
made  its  appearance  as  a  factor  for  good  in  the  development  of  the  west  and 
south  there  was  a  lack  of  unity  and  of  purpose  among  those  who  rep- 
resented us  in  the  halls  of^  congress  as  well  as  in  commercial  and  other 
bodies  which  had  for  their  object  the  development  of  each  particular 
section,  but  now  each  of  the  states  embraced  within  the  territory  from 
which  delegates  to  this  Congress  come  makes  common  cause,  and  all 


18  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS  ,L 

have  found  that,  acting  unitedly,  everything  is  possible  and  easy  of  ac- 
complishment which  goes  to  making  of  a  richer  country,  a  happier  and 
a  more  prosperous  people.  But  much  remains  yet  to  be  clone,  and  some 
things  to  be  guarded  against.  In  the  first  category,  I  call  attention  to- 
the  tardiness  with  which  the  semi-arid  regions  are  being  reclaimed,  and 
in  doing  this  I  do  not  mean  to  be  understood  as  claiming  that  the 
officials  in  charge  of  the  reclamation  service  are  doing  nothing.  I  realize 
fully  the  difficulties  which  they  encounter  in  the  prosecution  of  these 
great  government  works  because  of  the  fact  that  there  are  innumerable 
conflicting  private  interests  which  have  to  be  reconciled,  and  other  ob- 
stacles which  try  the  patience  and  retard  the  work.  But  I  feel  xhat 
works  which  have  been  undertaken,  in  this  state  at  least,  and  possibly 
in  other  states  where  I  am  not  so  familiar  with  conditions,  ought  to- 
have  been  pushed  to  completion  with  greater  rapidity  than  has  been  the 
case.  I  fear  that  this  is  occasioned  either  by  too  much  red  tape  in  ;.he 
departments  at  Washington  or  by  a  lack  of  appreciation  on  the  part  of 
the  officials  having  these  works  in  charge  of  the  importance  to  the  people 
of  speedy  consummation.  I  believe  that  if  your  Congress  would  call 
the  attention  of  those  in  authority  to  conditions  as  they  exist  it  would 
result  in  more  aggressive  work  and  a  speedy  completion  of  many  of 
the  projects  now  under  way. 

There  are  other  matters  of  great  public  interest,  such  as  appropri- 
ations for  our  rivers  and  harbors,  and  for  the  construction  of  canals  as 
natural  regulators  for  freight  rates  for  commerce  from  the  Inland  Em- 
pire to  the  sea,  that  ought  to  be  taken  up  and  considered  by  this  Con- 
gress, but  it  is  impossible  for  me  in  the  brief  time  allotted  to  do  more 
than  call  attention  to  them. 

In  the  list  of  those  things  which  ought  to  be  guarded  against,  and 
against  which  this  Congress  should  sound  an  alarm,  is  the  unrestricted 
immigration  of  Chinese  to  this  coast.  •  I  know  that  China  threatens  a 
boycott  against  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  unless  more  liberal 
laws  than  are  now  in  force  are  enacted  for  the  admission  of  their  people 
to  this  country,  and  I  know  that  there  are  those  standing  at  the  head 
of  some  of  our  own  commercial  bodies  who  advocate  the  removal  of  the 
restrictions  contained  in  the  act  of  congress  of  1902  upon  this  immi- 
gration, but  I  venture  the  assertion  that  in  many  cases  the  threatened 
boycott  receives  encouragement  from  men  in  this  country  who  have 
personal  interests  to  subserve,  and  much  of  the  clamor  here  for  Chinese- 
immigration  comes  from  those  directly  interested  in  exporting  products 
to  Chinese  ports,  constituting  a  small  minority  of  the  people  of  the 
coast.  I  feel  that  the  best  interests  of  the  great  majority  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States  demand  a  rigid  enforcement  of  the  present  law  re- 
stricting the  immigration  of  Chinese  laborers,  and  if  any  amendment  to- 
that  law  is  made,  it  should  be  for  even  greater  restriction  than  now  ex- 
ists. Not  only  that.  The  reasons  which  demand  the  exclusion  of  the 
cheap  labor  of  China  from  our  shores  demand  the  restriction  of  Jap- 
anese laborers  as  well,  and  of  all  Oriental  countries  that  send  to  our 
shores  a  class  of  people  inferior  to  our  own,  and  who,  under  the  laws  of 
the  Almighty  himself  cannot  intermarry  and  assimilate  with  our  own 
peoples  without  their  degradation  and  the  lowering  of  the  standard  of 
civilization.  Our  friends  from  the  east  and  from  the  south  cannot  fully 
appreciate  the  evils  that  will  be  wrought  to  our  social  and  our  industrial 
system  by  the  unrestricted  immigration  of  the  cheap  laborers  of  Oriental 
countries.  They  are  not  homebuilders;  they  cannot  assimilate  with  us; 
they  can  live  and  accumulate  money  for  transfer  to  the  Orient  upon  a 
wage  which  our  people  cannot  exist  upon,  and  steps  ought  to  be  taken 
here  and  now  to  sound  a  warning  against  the  enactment  of  any  laws 
which  shall  make  it  harder  for  the  toiling  masses  of  this  country  to  earn* 
their  daily  bread. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  19 

I  do  not  feel  that  in  an  address  of  welcome  I  should  dwell  at  length 
upon  any  of  these  subjects  which  demand  and  will  doubtless  receive  your 
careful  consideration.  I  content  myself  with  calling  attention  to  them, 
and  in  conclusion  permit  me  to  express  the  hope  that  your  stay  among 
us  may  be  both  profitable  and  pleasant,  and  that  when  you  return  to 
your  several  homes  you  may  cherish  none  but  pleasant  recollections  of 
our  city  and  of  our  people.  We  are  glad  to  have  you  with  us,  and  we 
bid  you  welcome. 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX:  We  should  be  delighted  to  feel  that  Ore- 
gon was  all  there  was  of  the  Northwest.  It  used  to  be;  but  we 
have  cut  off  two  other  branches,  and  Washington  state  is  one  of 
Oregon's  loyal  daughters.  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing 
Governor  Mead  of  Washington,  who  will  welcome  you.  (Applause.) 

GOVERNOR  MEAD  thereupon  addressed  the  Congress  as  follows: 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  ALBERT  E.  MEAD,  GOVERNOR  OF  WASH- 
INGTON. 

From  the  dawn  of  the  morning  when  Lewis  and  Clark  began  their 
eventful  journey  to  the  moment  when  the  sound  of  the  gavel  called  to- 
gether the  sixteenth  annual  session  of  this  Congress,  there  are  no 
brighter  pages  in  history  recording  deeds  of  dauntless  courage,  patient 
perseverance  and  loyal  devotion  to  country  than  those  chapters  describ- 
ing the  upbuilding  of  the  great  Northwest.  Those  pathfinders,  in  the 
forest  and  on  the  plain,  who  blazed  the  way  for  the  settlement  of  the 
Northwest,  recognized  the  wisdom  and  strength  of  co-operation.  They 
practiced  that  form  of  religion  wherein  the  strong  holds  out  a  helping 
hand  to  the  weak.  This  congress  stands  for  that  same  sentiment,  and 
your  final  judgment  upon  the  questions  before  you  will  be  reached  be- 
cause of  the  exercise  of  that  virtue.  Your  recommendations  to  state  and 
federal  authorities  will  be  respected  and  followed  because  your  organiza- 
tion speaks  for  the  highest  interest  of  the  people  inhabiting  the  pro- 
gressive commonwealths  from  which  you  are  drawn. 

In  bidding  you  welcome  to  the  Northwest  in  behalf  of  the  800,000 
people  of  the  state  of  Washington,  we  are  not  only  confident  of  the  suc- 
cessful outcome  of  this  session,  but  we  are  mindful  of  the  rich  con- 
tribution received  at  your  hands  when  the  great  influence  of  this  organi- 
zation was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
whereby  the  system  of  national  irrigation  was  placed  upon  the  federal 
statute  books  in  the  enactment  of  the  reclamation  law. 

As  stated  editorially  by  the  leading  paper  of  this  city,  "largely 
through  your  efforts  the  Government  of  the  United  States  has  now  in 
its  treasury  upwards  of  $30,000,000  available  for  the  reclamation  of  arid 
lands  in  the  West." 

By  the  application  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  public  lands  in 
the  states  named  in  this  beneficial  act,  the  subjugation  and  ultimate 
annihilation  of  that  country  included  in  what  is  popularly  known  as 
"The  West"  will  soon  be  complete.  The  great  gaps  between  the  East 
and  the  West  will  soon  close;  the  waste  places  will  be  made  fruitful;  the 
eternal  silence  of  the  great  desert  will  be  broken  by  the  noise  and 
shouting  of  the  greater  and  lesser  Captains  of  Industry. 

Washington's  contribution,  from  the  sale  of  public  lands,  of  more 
than  three  millions  of  dollars  has  helped  to  swell  the  reclamation 
fund.  We  are  thus  not  only  permitted  to  draw  upon  this  fund  to  add 


20  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

to  our  created  wealth  and  population,  but  the  natural  wealth  bequeathed 
us  by  a  generous  Providence  permits  us  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the 
states  of  the  arid  belt  not  so  highly  favored. 

We  are  interested  in  irrigation,  improved  harbor  facilities  for  ocean 
commerce,  and  cheaper  transportation  by  rail,  but  we  hope  this  body 
will  take  a  pronounced  position  in  keeping  the  citizenship  of  this 
country  up  to  the  standard  it  has  attained  by  opposing  the  modifica- 
tion of  any  treaty  that  will  admit  to  our  shores  undesirable  Asiatic 
immigration.  We  are  interested,  as  other  states  are  interested,  in 
pursuing  a  policy  that  will  enlarge  our  markets  in  the  Orient.  ^We 
want  the  benefit  of  increased  and  increasing  trade  in  the  far  East, 
if  it  can  be  purchased  at  a  fair  price.  In  opening  wider  the  gates 
to  Chinese  immigration  and  thereby  debasing  our  American  citizen- 
ship, we  are  paying  too  great  a  price.  Among  those  of  alien  coun- 
tries who  desire  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  American  flag,  we  are 
entitled  to  the  best;  we  will  not  have  the  worst. 

We  are  a  commercial  as  well  as  a  productive  state.  Therefore,  our 
people  are  in  hearty  accord  with  the  efforts  of  this  Congress  for  the 
betterment  of  rail  and  water  transportation.  As  the  waters  of  our 
Inland  Sea  offer  excellent  harborage  for  the  fleets  of  the  world,  our 
needs  for  harbor  improvements  are  easily  satisfied. 

A  further  solution  of  the  problems  of  transportation  is  found  in 
the  fresh  waters  coursing  from  mountain  to  sea,  which  will  furnish, 
when  fully  developed,  a  force  equal  to  a  million  horsepower,  and 
allow  us  in  this  electric  age  to  supplement  steam  transportation  systems 
by  connecting  lines  moved  by  a  cheaper  power. 

Other  states  of  the  Northwest  are  equally  favored  in  this  respect. 
James  B.  Meikle,  Secretary  of  the  Seattle  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
has  aptly  expressed  the  magnitude  of  our  water  power  in  these  words: 

"It  is  safe  to  say  that  at  least  1,000,000  horsepower  might  readily 
be  developed  in  every  state  of  the  Northwest.  The  swift  rivers  that 
flow  from  the  glaciers  and  snow  fields  of  the  Cascades  and  Olympic 
mountains  have  power  enough  to  turn  the  wheels  of  all  the  mills 
west  of  the  Mississippi  River." 

When  you  have  rendered  full  justice  to  the  cause  of  your  con- 
stituents as  representatives  in  this  Congress,  when  you  have  enlarged 
your  knowledge  of  these  two  northwestern  states,  and  returned  to 
your  homes,  then  if  you  decide  that  your  field  of  usefulness  would  be 
enlarged  and  your  happiness  increased  by  taking  up  your  permanent 
residence  in  the  Northwest,  the  people  of  the  state  I  have  the  honor 
to  represent,  will  again  extend  to  you  a  most  cordial  welcome.  We 
are  doubly  related,  by  the  tender  ties  of  motherhood  and  sisterhood. 
to  the  grand,  old  State  of  Oregon.  We  revere  the  memories  of  the 
brave  men  and  noble  women  of  that  state  who  made  such  great 
sacrifices  to  add  the  Oregon  country  to  the  national  domain.  In  obe- 
dience to  that  sentiment,  and  in  deference  to  the  distinguished  Execu- 
tive of  that  splendid  state,  whom  I  have  the  honor  to  follow,  I  will 
add  that  if  you  hereafter  decide  to  become  permanent  residents  of 
either  Oregon  or  Washington  no  one  will  be  more  enthusiastic  in 
commending  your  good  judgment  than  yourselves. 

Washington  bids  you  welcome  to  this  Congress,  welcome  to  the 
Pacific  Northwest,  welcome  to  the  homes  and  hospitality  of  its  peo- 
ple. May  your  efforts  in  this  sixteenth  annual  meeting  attest  the 
wisdom  of  your  creation,  and  immeasurably  contribute  to  the  progress 
and  well  being  of  the  Republic. 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX  :  None  of  you  would  imagine  that  all  this 
Fair  rose  in  a  night.  Some  of  you  may  be  curious  to  know  who 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  21 

is  responsible  for  it,  and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing  the- 
man  to  whose  intelligence,  through  whose  patience  and  persever- 
ance, this  Fair  has  been  completed,  and  through  whose  tact  it  is, 
being  conducted  in  a  most  peaceful  manner,  equal  to  that  of  any 
society  that  ever  graced  our  city — President  Goode.  (Applause.) 

PRESIDENT  GOODE: 

ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  H.  W.  GOODE. 

Mr.  President  and  Delegates  to  the  Congress — It  is  my  pleasant  duty 
to  extend  a  cordial  welcome  of  your  members  to  the  Exposition.  The 
people  of  Portland  and  the  management  of  the  Exposition  are  ex- 
tremely proud  that  you  should  have  selected  Portland  and  the  Exposi- 
tion Grounds  as  the  place  in  which  to  hold  this  convention.  We  have 
had  many  conventions  at  the  Exposition,  but  I  regard  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  as  the  most  important  of  all.  I 
speak  from  an  Exposition  standpoint.  The  work  of  the  Trans-Mis- 
sissippi Commercial  Congress  is  absolutely  in  line  with  the  work,  the 
intent  and  purpose,  of  any  international  or  national  exposition. 

The  initial  purpose  of  this  Exposition  was  to  celebrate  the  Lewis 
and  Clark  expedition  and  the  acquisition  of  the  old  Oregon  territory; 
and  we  had  a  loyal  desire  to  do  honor  to  those  people  and  to  cele- 
brate in  a  fitting  way  that  great  event.  But  underlying  it  all  there 
was  the  purpose  of  exploiting  this  Northwest  country,  of  letting  our 
own  people,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and  the  people  of  the 
world  understand  what  we  had  here  and  to  show  them  the  resources 
of  this  great  section.  The  development  of  the  country  is  the  primary 
purpose,  and  that  we  all  understand  is  the  object  of  your  Congress.  For 
many  years  your  delegates  have  unselfishly  given  their  time  and  money 
to  attend  these  meetings  and  take  up  the  important  matters  affecting 
all  that  portion  of  the  country  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and 
it  is  a  matter  of  very  great  pride  to  th'is  Exposition  that  we  are  a  part 
of  that  development.  How  well  we  have  succeeded  at  this  Fair  in  show- 
ing the  resources  of  the  country  and  in  interesting  our  own  people 
and  the  people  from  abroad  I  will  leave  you  to  judge.  We  have  spent 
a  large  amount  of  money,  the  people  of  the  country  are  loyal  to  a 
man,  and  it  would  be  remarkable,  indeed,  if  the  Exposition  did  not 
have  a  magnificent  effect  upon  this  section  and  its  growth. 

I  hope  that  you  will  find  time  from  your  labors  at  this  Congress 
to  devote  a  certain  portion  of  your  stay  here  to  looking  over  the  Fair 
and  the  exhibits  we  have  here.  I  am  sure  you  will  be  greatly  interested, 
and  I  sincerely  hope  they  will  meet  with  your  approval  and  that  you 
may  be  able  to  say  a  good  word  for  us  on  your  return  to  your  homes. 
Again  I  thank  you  for  your  attendance,  and  for  your  meeting  at  Port- 
land and  extend  to  you  a  most  hearty  welcome.  (Applause). 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX  :    I  was  very  much  afraid  this  meeting  was 
not  going  to  be  the  perfect  success  that  it  should  be,  but  the  one  man 
required  to  make  our  success  has  come  in  within  the  last  two  or  three 
minutes,  and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing  Senator  Fulton.. 
(Applause.) 


22  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

SENATOR  FULTON  : 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  CHAS.  W.  FULTON,  U.  S.  SENATOR. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen— I  realize  that  I  am  a  little  late  for  these  cere- 
monies, but  this  being  Elks'  Day  at  the  Fair  as  well,  and  I  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  Elks,  you  can  realize  how  I  naturally  inferred 
that  all  important  ceremonies  took  place  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  there- 
fore that  these  ceremonies  would  begin  at  that  hour.  I  realize  from 
a  slight  experience  in  the  past  how  important  it  is  to  a  speaker  that 
his  audience  shall  be  impressed  with  the  fact  that  every  statement  he 
makes  is  founded  on  the  rock  of  truth;  and  therefore  I  shall  be  very 
careful  to  avoid  making  any  statement  which  will  not  commend  itself 
to  you  at  once  as  a  perpendicular  fact.  On  yesterday  I  received  the 
first  intimation  that  I  was  expected  to  attend  these  ceremonies.  The 
message  came  to  me  while  I  was  standing  on  the  banks  of  a  trout 
stream,  -just  in  the  act  of  landing  a  nine-pound  mountain  trout  (Laugh- 
ter and  applause.)  Now,  I  don't  know  whether  that  is  applause,  or 
whether  it  is  a  slight  indication  of  unbelief  (laughter);  but  certain  it  is, 
when  I  was  assured  that  I  was  expected  to  be  here  in  order  to  extend 
to  you  a  welcome,  I  realized  it  was  my  duty  to  come  at  once,  because 
I  had  a  keen  realization  of  the  deplorable  situation  you  must  be  in, 
wandering  around  here  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  on  your  own  initia- 
tive as  it  were,  without  knowing  whether  I  approved  it  or  not.  (Laugh- 
ter.) I  cannot  say  exactly  that  I  abandoned  the  plow  in  the  field  to  be 
here,  but  I  can  assert  without  fear  of  successful  contradiction  that  I 
did  that  which  required  far  more  self-denial,  namely,  quit  a  fishing 
trip  to  come  here.  And  I  am  glad  that  I  came,  now,  since  I  am  here, 
for  I  never  saw  assembled  a  finer  looking  body  of  men  in  my  life 
(laughter  and  applause),  and  what  few  of  the  ladies  are  here  certainly 
surpass  any  that  I  have  ever  met. 

I  congratulate  the  State  of  Oregon  that  you  have  come  here  to 
hold  this  Congress.  I  think  it  means  very  much  to  the  people  of  this 
state.  I  congratulate  you  also  that  you  are  permitted  to  meet  in  this 
Queen  City  of  the  Northwest,  where  the  mid-summer  heat  is  placed 
on  storage  by  the  cooling  breezes  from  the  Pacific.  I  trust  and 
believe  you  will  enjoy  your  stay  with  us,  and  I  assure  you  that  if 
you  do  not,  it  will  be  because  of  no  fault  or  effort  at  least  on  our 
part,  because  we  appreciate  most  highly  the  fact  that  this  convention 
has  selected  this  city  for  its  place  of  meeting.  I  congratulate  the 
country  at  large  that  you  have  assembled  here  and  that  so  distinctly 
a  representative  class  of  men  have  been  sent  here  to  discuss  the 
great  questions  that  are  before  the  American  people  today.  For  I 
believe  that  in  its  history  seldom  has  there  been  before  the  American 
people  for  solution  questions  of  greater  importance  than  are  before 
them  today,  and  which  I  understand  will  be  brought  before  this 
Congress. 

I  shall  make  no  pretense  to  discuss  any  of  those  questions,  or 
even  to  refer  to  them  except  in  this  general  way.  I  only  want  now 
to  assure  you  of  our  hearty  welcome  and  to  express  the  hope  that 
when  you  shall  depart  for  your  homes,  you  will  go  away  entertain- 
ing the  same  kindly  feeling  for  us  that  we  now  and  shall  at  all  times 
entertain  for  you.  (Great  applause.) 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX:  The  next  speaker  I  shall  introduce  will 
be  Mr.  Cake,  president  of  the  Commercial  Club,  father  of  promo- 
tion and  publicity  in  the  Northwest.  (Applause.) 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI  COMMERCIAL  CONGRESS.  23. 

MR.   CAKE: 

ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  H.  M.  CAKE. 

Delegates  to  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  Ladies  and' 
Gentlemen.— I  have  been  requested  to  add  a  few  words  to  what  has  been 
already  said  on  behalf  of  the  commercial  interests  of  the  City  of  Port- 
land and  the  Northwest.  It  is  hardly  fitting  for  me  in  bidding  you  gen- 
tlemen, strangers  to  our  city,  welcome,  to  elaborate  upon  the  resources 
of  our  city,  state  and  Northwest.  We  leave  you  to  acquire  knowledge 
of  those  through  observation  while  in  our  city,  and  through  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  topics  which  will  come  before  this  convention;  however, 
I  want  to  say  in  this  connection  of  the  Northwest,  that  when  Lewis, 
and  Clark  crossed  the  divide  in  1805  and  gazed  for  the  first  time  on 
the  Oregon  country,  they  little  dreamed  of  its  future  greatness  and 
of  the  magnificent  states  to  be  carved  out  of  that  territory — Washing- 
ton, Idaho  and  Oregon.  While  integral  parts  of  a  great  nation,  one 
people,  one  country  with  one  destiny,  the  people  in  the  Middle  West, 
the  South,  the  Southwest,  the  Inter-Mountain  States  and  the  Pacific 
Coast  States  are  bound  together  by  mutual  ties  that  compels  them,, 
if  they  would  seek  their  highest  prosperity,  to  work  together  as  a  unit^ 
This  has  been  elaborated  by  the  President  of  this  organization,  and  I 
feel  it  should  be  the  key-note  of  this  convention.  Only  in  helpful  and 
continued  co-operation  can  we  in  the  states  expect  to  overcome  the 
handicap  of  Eastern  wealth  and  influence  and  secure  from  the  National 
Government  that  which  is  our  due  in  the  distribution  of  national  appro- 
priations. Only  in  harmonious  and  uniform  action  and  effort  can  we 
protect  ourselves  from  the  encroachments  of  corporate  expansion, 
maintain  the  integrity  of  our  citizenship  against  the  coolie  labor  of  the 
Orient,  and  attain  that  dignity  of  development,  commercial  and  indus- 
trial, to  which  by  nature  we  are  entitled.  We  in  the  Northwest  realize 
that  we  must  establish  close  reciprocal  relations  with  our  sister  states 
and  cities  of  the  great  Columbia  River,  and  make  the  highway  which 
was  intended  by  nature  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  its  navigable, 
limit  in  the  inland  empire.  The  cities  on  the  lakes,  on  the  Atlantic 
seaboard,  on  the  gulf,  have  by  their  concerted  action  compelled  the 
recognition  of  the  national  government  and  are  today  secure  in  their 
supremacy  as  commercial  states  through  the  facilities  afforded  them 
by  adequate  river  and  harbor  appropriations.  We  on  the  Pacific  Coast,, 
not  of  Oregon  alone,  are  entitled  to  like  consideration  and  aid. 

In  common  effort  we  must  reclaim  these  vast  arid  deserts  and  popu- 
late them  that  we  find  in  the  West  and  in  the  Southwest  In  this. 
Exposition  Portland  and  the  Northwest  sought  to  cement  the  ties 
of  friendship  and  good  feeling  by  bringing  gentlemen  from  those  vari- 
ous states  together,  hoping  as  a  result  for  closer  ties  between  the 
states  and  producing  a  deeper  feeling  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the 
whole  in  the  welfare  of  each.  You  from  the  middle  western  states, 
we  bid  welcome,  because  to  you  we  owe  much  of  the  brawn  and  sinew 
that  has  laid  the  foundation  of  our  statehood  and  rendered  possible 
its  future  development.  To  you  from  the  South  and  the  Southwest, 
we  extend  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  in  the  language  of  the 
Southern  Cato  when  he  met  his  ancient  Northern  foe  in  the  reunion 
of  the  blue  and  the  gray,  we  would  say  to  you:  "We  are  glad  to  meet 
you,  for  to  know  you  is  to  love  you."  To  you  from  Washington,  Idaho 
and  Nevada,  the  city  is  always  open,  for  you  have  borne  with  us  the 
heat  and  burden  of  the  development  of  the  Northwest  and  the  increase 
of  our  great  commonwealth.  To  you  from  California,  we  say,  we  send 
and  give  you  greetings  and  thanks,  for  we  have  no  better  evidence  of 
your  good  will  and  fellowship  than  the  crowds  you  have  put  into  our 


24  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

state   within   the   last   ten   weeks.      (Applause.)      We   welcome   you    all; 
Portland,  the  Rose  City  of  the  Northwest,  is  yours.     (Great  applause.) 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX  :  The  next  speaker  I  shall  introduce  is  Mr. 
W.  D.  Wheelwright,  president  of  our  Chamber  of  Commerce.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

MR.  WHEELWRIGHT: 

ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  W.  D.  WHEELWRIGHT. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen—It  is  one  of  the  pleasant  duties  that  at- 
tach to  the  office  of  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  for  which 
body  and  with  the  distinct  disclaimer  of  any  personal  merit  I  accept 
the  honor  to  help  in  giving  greeting  to  this  distinguished  company. 

The  word  congress  in  its  usual  acceptation,  especially  in  this  coun- 
try, means  the  law  making  power  of  the  nation.  Even  in  that  sense 
it  is  not  inappropriate  that  the  word  should  be  applied  to  this  asso- 
ciation, because,  next  to  agriculture,  commerce  is  the  great  source  of 
the  nation's  wealth,  and  therefore  commerce  has  much  to  do  in  sug- 
gesting the  enactment  of  those  laws  under  which  trade,  the  calm 
health  of  nations  as  the  dramatist  calls  it,  flows  through  the  veins  of 
the  body  politic.  Therefore,  this  Congress  meets  to  perform  a  great 
national  service  and  duty,  into  which  it  should  enter  seriously,  and 
with  a  full  sense  of  its  responsibilities.  When  I  look  about  me  and 
see  this  array  of  distinguished  men  gathered  here  from  all  parts  of 
the  Union,  I  am  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  real  grandeur  of  Ameri- 
can citizenship.  "The  Empire  is  Rome"  was  the  ancient  watchword  of 
despotism.  "Paris  is  France"  was  the  later  cry  raised  by  those  who 
wished  to  centralize  power  in  the  hands  of  the  few  who  lived  in  the 
chief  city;  but  how  different  it  is  here  in  this,  the  beginning  of  the 
twentieth  century.  In  a  comparatively  isolated  community,  somewhat 
sparsely  populated,  three  thousand  miles  away  from  the  national  and 
financial  capitals,  is  gathered  this  great  company  of  distinguished 
citizens  from  many  parts  of  the  Republic  to  consider  the  great  ques- 
tions of  the  country's  growth  and  development  and  to  recommend  to 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  a  course  of  legislation  that 
shall  stimulate  that  growth  and  enlarge  that  development  until  it 
shall  reach  the  full  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  grandest  and  most 
powerful  and  intelligent  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Let  me  not 
be  misunderstood  in  saying  this.  It  is  glory  we  aim  at,  the  glory  we 
have  not  yet  reached.  If  we  had  solved  the  problem  of  government, 
would  it  be  necessary  for  a  President  of  the  United  States  to  say,  as 
he  did  on  Friday  last,  that  we  had  only  begun  to  recognize  the 
ethical  principles  that  should  control  the  conduct  of  nations  towards 
each  other?  Would  it  be  necessary  to  say  that  weaker  peoples  had  a 
right  to  make  appeal  to  our  consciences  as  well  as  to  our  emotions, 
and  that  in  our  own  domestic  affairs  great  corporations  are  resorting 
to  every  expedient  to  nullify  the  laws  so  that  governmental  control  is 
a  necessity?  We  need  new  laws;  we  need  the  just  enforcement  of  all 
laws,  both  new  and  old;  we  need  a  new  policy  in  our  treatment  of 
foreign  nations  that  will  grant  to  the  weak  every  privilege  that  we 
yield  to  the  strong;  and,  more  than  all,  we  need  to  awaken  public 
conscience  that  shall  serve  to  keep  this  great  and  powerful  nation  in 
the  path  of  rectitude  and  honor.  And  so  I  appeal  to  you  in  your 
deliberations  to  regard  principles  as  well  as  policies;  to  observe  the 
rules  of  equity  as  well  as  the  considerations  of  business;  to  look  upon 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  27 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX  :  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing  Gen- 
eral John  W.  Noble  of  Missouri,  father  of  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor,  former  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  (Applause.) 

GENERAL  NOBLE  : 

RESPONSE   OF  HON.  JOHN  W.   NOBLE. 

Mr.  President  and  Members  of  the  Convention — I  feel  embarrassed  to 
appear  in  the  place  of  my  distinguished  fellow-citizen,  who  we  thought 
would  be  present  this  morning,  the  father  of  the  great  Exposition  at 
St.  Louis,  Hon.  David  R.  Francis.  He  would  have  filled  this  place 
well.  As  your  First  Vice-President,  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  honor 
you  have  conferred  on  me  at  St.  Louis,  and  to  signify  my  great  interest 
in  this  Congress  at  all  times  and  places,  a  part  of  which  I  have  endeavored 
to  express  by  traveling  four  days  and  nights,  with  a  delay  of  fourteen 
hours,  to  be  among  you  this  morning.  You  will  allow  me,  instead  of 
making  a  set  speech — which  possibly  I  may  do  later,  as  I  believe  the 
President  has  assigned  me  a  text  on  some  other  day — to  tell  you  a  remin- 
iscence. When  I  was  twenty-four  years  old,  I  had  already  endeavored 
to  make  my  way  in  life  and  was  not  succeeding  very  rapidly,  in  the 
State  of  Missouri  and  not  wanting  to  live  on  others,  I  determined  to 
go  to  Puget  Sound.  I  studied  the  grand  round  of  the  Columbia  River, 
and  I  knew  then  probably  more  than  I  do  now — as  much  at  least — be- 
cause I  had  learned  about  The  Dalles  and  the  Cascades  and  Puget 
Sound,  and  a  little  town  called  Steilacoom.  I  made  a  map  of  this 
country,  got  the  money,  packed  my  trunk  and  was  about  to  start,  and 
would  have  been  one  of  your  pioneers,  when  some  friends  induced  me 
to  go  to  the  State  of  Iowa,  the  town  of  Keokuk.  There  I  went,  and 
as  they  say  in  Kansas  nowadays,  "I  struck  oil,"  got  side-switched,  and 
never  came  to  Portland  until  now.  Allow  me  to  say,  however,  that  my 
interest  in  this  western  country  has  not  awakened  just  at  this  time. 
It  was  my  position  under  General  Harrison's  administration,  to  have 
the  governors  and  secretaries  of  the  territories  of  North  Da- 
kota, South  Dakota,  Idaho,  Wyoming  and  Washington  interested 
in  me,  because  their  appointment  depended  somewhat  on  the 
office  I  then  held.  I  saw  our  states  move  westward  from  the  Missis- 
sippi and  the  Missouri  Rivers  to  the  great  Pacific,  making  the  bulwark 
stronger  and  the  prow  sharper  to  move  on  with  our  commerce  and 
influence  to  the  regions  of  the  Orient.  I,  too,  am  a  Union  man.  I  love 
to  think  what  our  country  is  as  a  unit,  as  one  great  force  with  one  grand 
thought,  the  elevation,  prosperity  and  power  of  the  American  people. 
I  love  to  reflect  that  within  my  time  I  have  traveled  those  plains  where 
the  buffalo  .spread  beyond  the  limit  of  the  eye's  sight.  Within  the  last 
few  days  I  have  seen  the  harvesters  spreading  over  the  great  desert, 
and  been  amazed  at  seeing  the  wheat  and  alfalfa  coming  nearly  to  the 
Rockies.  To  be  sure,  some  of  the  corn,  as  one  man  was  bragging 
about  the  corn  in  Missouri  being  so  high  you  could  not  reach  it  on 
horseback,  is  not  quite  so  high  as  that,  for  the  other  man  from  the 
State  of  Idaho  said:  "Well,  it  is  the  same  in  my  state,  but  it  is  so  low 
down  that  you  can't  reach  it  on  horseback."  (Laughter.)  However,  it 
led  me  to  reflect  what  mighty  power,  resources  and  intelligence  there 
is  already  developed,  and  still  more  to  come.  I  remember  of  being  in 
California  two  years  ago,  and  looking  upon  the  Pacific  and  the  Golden 
Gate,  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  on  the  prow  of  a  great  ship,  her  cargo 
the  wealth  of  the  field,  the  mine,  the  manufactory,  with  a  passenger 
list  of  intelligence,  morality  and  thought,  and  that  her  power  was 
beating  rythmically  as  she  was  destined  for  the  East,  conquering  not 


"28  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

by  cannon  and  shot,  not  by  destruction  and  lust  for  empire,  but  by  the 
beneficent  influences  that  our  civilization  confers  and  as  we  believe,  our 
religion  will  come  to  make  them  better  and  bearing  them  the  flag  of  a 
.great  Republic,  the  hope  of  humanity.  (Great  applause.) 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX  :  I  am  pleased  to  find  in  the  audience  Gov- 
ernor Prince  of  New  Mexico,  and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introduc- 
ing him.  (Applause.) 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE: 

RESPONSE   OF   HON.    L.    BRADFORD    PRINCE. 

Mr.  President — To  make  reply  to  gracious  words  of  welcome  is  always 
a  pleasant  thing.  It  has  fallen  to  me  on  many  of  those  occasions  to  be 
called  on  to  make  such  a  reply,  but  never  more  heartily  and  earnestly 
than  in  this  City  of  Portland.  If  this  were  to  be  a  sermon  instead  of 
a  very  brief  talk  of  a  desultory  nature  I  would  choose  for  it  two  texts, 
one  from  the  New  Testament  and  one  from  the  Old  one,  that  ex- 
clamation of  the  disciples  on  the  Mount  of  Glory,  "It  is  good  to  be 
here";  and  the  other  from  the  Old  Testament,  when  the  Queen  of 
Sheba  said  to  Solomon,  "The  half  hath  not  been  told  of  me."  (Great  ap- 
plause.) For  what  a  wonderful  land  you  have  in  this  Northwest!  As 
one  passes  through  it  on  the  railroad  or  steamboat,  what  does  he  see? 
What  man  has  been  able  to  do  in  the  course  of  comparatively  few 
years  in  turning,  that,  which  was  forest  and  desert,  into  fruitful  plain 
and  orchard.  Not  only  on  land  but  on  the  sea,  in  commerce  as  well 
as  in  agriculture  and  horticulture.  If  I  might  be  allowed  one  moment 
of  reminiscence,  as  was  my  friend,  the  former  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
I  would  say  that  it  was  a  source  of  renewed  sorrow  to  me  that  I  made 
the  mistake  of  my  life  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  when  I 
was  offered  the  governorship  of  the  only  then  remaining  territory  in 
what  was  a  part  of  old  Oregon,  when  I  declined  it  from  mistake  and 
misapprehension,  and  consequently  have  not  been  a  resident  of  this 
part  of  the  country  ever  since.  (Great  applause  and  laughter.)  It  was 
a  turning  point  and  the  mistake  of  my  life,  and  I  recognize  it,  and  I 
never  was  so  regretful  about  it  as  I  was  yesterday  and  the  day  before 
when  I  traveled  through  this  part  of  the  country.  (Great  applause.) 

I  was  greatly  interested,  Mr.  President,  in  rereading,  as  I  did  then, 
this  old  volume  of  the  reports  of  Lewis  and  Clark.  The  volume  itself, 
thumbed  and  torn  as  it  came  to  me  through  my  father,  from  my  grand- 
father who  owned  it  first,  for  in  those  days  they  did  not  have  so  many 
books  and  so  they  read  and  reread  them;  but  I  could  not  but  be  struck 
by  the  contrast  between  that  which  was  described  and  that  which  I  saw. 
This  volume  is  taken  up  in  more  than  two-thirds  of  its  pages  by  a 
description  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  the  curiosity  and  peculiarities  of 
their  manners  and  customs,  then  almost  unknown  to  the  Eastern  Ameri- 
can people.  I  thought  of  the  amazement  of  those  captains  and  of  their 
followers  if  they  could  have  been  with  me  yesterday;  of  the  new  things 
they  would  have  seen;  of  the  railroad  train  which  so  swiftly  brought 
us  across  those  mountains  which  they  traveled  with  danger  and  hard- 
ship; of  the  beautiful  steamboats  on  this  river  which  they  descended  with 
so  much  difficulty  and  trouble.  If  they  could  have  seen  the  railroad 
which  was  unknown  in  their  day,  the  steamboat,  which  was  unknown; 
the  telegraph;  if  they  could  have  been  met  at  the  station  by  an  auto- 
mobile, that  they  never  heard  of;  if  they  could  have  telephoned  to  a 
hotel  by  means  which  they  never  dreamed  of;  if  in  that  hotel  they 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  29 

could  have  been  carried  up  on  an  elevator  to  a  height  which  they  never 
imagined,  except  as  the  height  of  a  mountain,  what  amazement  would 
have  been  theirs,  and  yet  this  contrast  is  the  work  of  comparatively 
few  years  of  American  enterprise  and  industry.  I  wish  to  quote — for  I 
have  not  seen  it  quoted  anywhere  in  connection  with  this  Exposition 
or  this  anniversary — two  lines  in  the  beginning  of  the  report  of  Captain 
Lewis:  "The  great  object  of  our  expedition  was  to  aid  commerce  and 
population."  Those  words  ought  to  be  written  in  letters  of  gold,  it 
seems  to  me,  over  the  entrance  to  this  Exposition.  "The  great  object 
of  our  expedition  was  to  aid  commerce  and  population."  How  wonder- 
fully that  has  been  exemplified  in  this  brief  period  that  has  passed. 

And  of  the  Exposition  itself,  from  whose  chief  we  have  had  words 
of  welcome,  what  is  to  be  said  of  that?  I  say  to  you,  Mr.  President 
and  ladies  and  gentlemen,  in  confidence  that  while  I  believe  I  am  not 
the  oldest  man  in  the  United  States,  I  believe  that  there  were  others 
who  lived  in  the  fifties;  so  far  as  I  know,  I  am  the  only  man  now  living 
who  is  willing  to  say  that  he  has  been  at  every  Exposition  that  ever 
took  place  in  the  United  States,  including  the  Crystal  Palace  in  New 
York.  But  I  was  there,  and  I  remember  it  better  than  I  do  any  of  the 
newer  ones,  just  as  we  recollect  those  things  which  we  saw  in  our 
boyhood.  The  Crystal  Palace  in  New  York,  the  Exposition  in  Philadel- 
phia, the  one  in  Chicago,  the  Mid-Winter  at  San  Francisco,  the  one 
at  Omaha,  the  one  at  Buffalo — I  have  seen  them  all — but  among  them 
all,  while  this  is  not  the  largest,  and  does  not  pretend  to  be,  yet  there 
never  has  been  one  more  perfect  in  its  detail  or  more  beautiful  in  its 
arrangement.  (Great  applause.)  Not  only  the  people  of  Portland,  but 
the  whole  people  of  the  Pacific  slope  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  it. 
For  myself,  I  am  only  afraid  of  its  too  great  fascination.  I  believe  it 
will  be  the  destruction  of  this  year,  practically  of  this  Congress.  You 
gentlemen  of  the  Exposition  have  already  shown  what  you  can  do. 
A  year  ago  you  sent  representatives  to  this  Congress  at  St.  Louis  and  you 
got  it  to  vote  to  come  here  this  year,  although  every  man  who  voted 
knew  that  to  go  to  a  city  where  there  was  an  Exposition  was  a  detri- 
ment to  the  Congress  itself.  You  have  hypnotized  the  members  of  the 
Executive  Committee  who  have  been  here,  so  that  they  have  recom- 
mended in  their  report  that  we  should  have  6nly  one  session  a  day,  al- 
though every  one  of  them  knew  perfectly  well  that  we  needed  three 
sessions  a  day  in  order  to  get  through  with  our  business,  and  I  fear  now 
that  we  are  on  the  ground  that  you  will  so  charm  us  all  that  by  tomor- 
row morning  when  we  meet,  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Con- 
gress will  be  willing  unanimously  to  adjourn  so  that  the  best  use  they 
can  make  of  their  time  is  simply  to  go  and  view  the  Exposition.  (Laugh- 
ter and  applause.) 
» 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX:  The  Secretary  has  given  me  permisssion 
to  call  on  Mr.  John  E.  Frost  of  Kansas  for  a  few  words.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

MR.  FROST: 

• 

RESPONSE  OF  HON.  JOHN  E.  FROST. 

Mr  President,  Gentlemen  of  the  Congress,  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — 
It  is  a  matter  of  considerable  embarrassment  to  me  to  be  called  to  speak 
to  you  after  the  eloquence  to  which  I  have  listened.  I  had  not  the 
remotest  idea  that  I  was  expected  to  say  anything  upon  this  occasion. 
It  has  been  a  great  pleasure  to  listen  to  the  words  of  welcome  which 


30  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

have  been  extended  to  us,  and  to  the  eloquent  responses.  I  can  add 
little  to  what  has  been  said,  but  I  want  you  to  understand  the  interest 
which  Kansas  takes  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress.  I 
think  it  was  in  1888  that  the  question  of  making  the  deep  water  harbor 
upon  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  was  one  of  great  moment  to  the  people  of  the 
Southwest.  The  people  of  Kansas  felt  deeply  interested  in  it,  and  after 
thinking  the  matter  over  we  decided  the  thing  to  do  was  to  call  a 
convention  to  further  that  movement.  We  accordingly  called  the  con- 
vention, which  was  was  known  as  the  Deep  Harbor  Convention,  which 
met  in  Topeka.  As  a  result  of  that  convention  the  movement  received 
great  encouragement,  and  appropriations  which  were  in  a  measure  com- 
mensurate to  the  occasion  were  secured  from  Congress,  and  that  con- 
vention gave  birth  to  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  of 
which  this  is  the  sixteenth  anniversary,  so  we  feel  deeply  interested  in 
this  Congress  and  are  glad  to  be  represented  here.  I  hope,  notwith- 
standing what  my  friend,  Governor  Prince,  has  suggested,  that  while  I 
was  present  at  the  birth  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  in 
Topeka,  I  shall  not  be  present  at  its  funeral  in  Portland.  (Great  ap- 
plause.) 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX:  We  would  like  to  have  had  Governor 
Brady  of  Alaska  with  us  today,  but  the  Secretary  has  a  telegram 
from  him  which  he  will  read. 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS  read  the  following  telegram: 

Sitka,  Alaska,  Aug.  14,  1905. 
Theodore  B.  Wilcox,  President  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress, 

Portland,  Oregon: 

Alaska  sends  greeting  to  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Con- 
gress. A  large  part  of  Alaska  is  good  for  homes,  and  those  who  are 
anxious  to  build  them  should  be  encouraged  by  the  United  States  Con- 
gress to  come  here.  Legislation  favorable  to  schools,  postal  routes, 
railroad  construction,  telegraph  and  cable  extension  will  be  in  line  of 
proper  encouragement.  We  are  now  enjoying  what  General  Greely 
and  his  corps  have  already  accomplished  and  it  helps  us  wonderfully. 

JOHN  G.  BRADY, 

Governor  of  Alaska. 

Also  the  following  letter  from  General  Greely,  who  is  now  in 
Alaska : 

WAR  DEPARTMENT— SIGNAL  CORPS  U.  S.  ARMY. 

OFFICE  OFFICER  IN   CHARGE  ALASKAN   CABLE  AND  TELERGAPH   SYSTEM. 

Seattle,  Wash.,  July  8,  1905. 
Mr.  Arthur  F.  Francis,  Secretary  Portland,  Oregon: 

Dear  ^>ir — I  have  to  acknowledge  your  courteous  invitation  on  be- 
half of  your  President,  Mr.  Theo.  B.  Wilcox,  and  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  to  attend  its 
meetings  in  Portland  from  August  16th  to  19th,  and  to  address  its 
delegates  upon  Alaska. 

It  is  an  indication  of  foresight  of  your  President  and  Executive 
Committee  that  emphasis  has  been  given  the  great  and  almost  unde- 
veloped Territory  of  Alaska.  Few  realize  the  magnitude  of  the  com- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  31 

tnercial  relations  of  Alaska  or  of  its  possibilities  in  the  immediate  fu- 
ture. It  suffices  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  entire  volume  of 
trade  in  and  out  of  Alaska  approximates  thirty  million  annually,  and 
this  presents  aspects  of  importance  to  the  intelligent  and  enterprising 
business  men  of  whom  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  is 
composed. 

Your  truly, 

A.  W.  GREELY, 
Brigadier-General,  U.  S.  Army,  Chief  Signal  Officer. 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS  :  If  the  President  will  permit  I  would  call 
the  attention  of  the  delegates  to  the  fact  that  each  state  should  get 
together  during  the  afternoon  and  perfect  their  organization  and 
select  two  members  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions,  one  on  the 
Executive  Committee  to  serve  two  years,  one  on  permanent  or- 
ganization, and  also  a  Vice  President  to  serve  during  the  following 
year.  These  names  should  be  handed  in  tomorrow  morning  upon 

the  call  of  states. 

• 

PRESIDENT  WILCOX:  The  delegates  have  heard  the  announce- 
ment of  the  Secretary.  If  there  is  no  further  business  the  Con- 
gress stands  adjourned  until  9  :30  tomorrow  morning. 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


SECOND  DAY 

AUDITORIUM,  LEWIS  AND  CLARK  EXPOSITION  GROUNDS, 

AUGUST  17,  9  :30  O'CLOCK  A.  M. 

The  Congress  was  called  to  order  by  General  John  W.  Noble, 
First  Vice  President. 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  Gentlemen,  inasmuch  as  the  President  of 
the  Congress  will  participate  in  the  proceedings  today,  he  has  as- 
signed to  me  the  duty  as  your  First  Vice  President  of  presiding. 
With  your  kind  "assistance  I  will  endeavor  to  perform  the  duties 
of  the  office.  I  want  to  say  just  one  word  before  we  proceed.  I 
think  this  Congress  is  about  to  be  one  of  the  most  important  and 
influential  of  any  of  the  Congresses  that  are  being  held  in  our 
country,  for  two  reasons :  One  is  that  the  questions  which  are  com- 
ing before  you  and  before  the  American  people  at  this  time  are  not 
only  comparatively  new  as  compared  with  the  questions  which  have 
agitated  the  economic  and  political  world  in  our  country,  but  they 
are  to  work  an  immense  influence  upon  the  immediate  future  of  our 
country.  These  questions  I  need  not  enumerate;  they  are  in  your 
own  minds.  The  second  reason  is  that  of  a  number  of  conventions, 
both  of  this  Congress  and  the  opportunity  I  had  in  St.  Louis  last 
year  of  seeing  the  men  who  came  to  discuss  different  questions 
in  different  congresses,  I  feel  that  in  this  body  of  men — and  I  speak 
not  in  compliment — there  is  that  exhibition  of  intelligence,  strength, 
courage,  and  patriotism  that  will  go  far  not  merely  to  discuss,  but 
to  decide  these  questions  so  far  as  this  Congress  is  concerned,  with 
intelligence,  justice,  and  for  the  public  welfare.  (Applause.)  The 
first  business  in  order  this  morning  is  the  call  of  states  and  the  re- 
ports of  delegations  to  be  made  therefrom. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE  :  As  this  is  the  first  business  that  has  been 
announced,  I  have  a  matter  which  I  desire  to  bring  before  the  call. 
The  call  includes  the  name  of  a  vice  president  from  each  state  and 
the  members  of  the  committees.  In  the  Constitution  and  Rules,  as 
they  are  printed,  these  having  been  made  up  from  resolutions  passed 
at  different  times,  there  is  an  incongruity;  because  in  the  statement 
under  the  head  of  officers  it  says  the  state  vice  presidents  are  to  be 
named  by  the  President  of  the  Congress,  and  not  by  the  states  and 
territories ;  but  in  another  section  they  are  to  be  named  by  the  states 
and  territories  as  they  always  have  been,  and  therefore,  with  the 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  33 

concurrence  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  I  offer 
an  amendment  to  the  section  on  officers  in  order  to  avoid  that  diffi- 
culty so  that  it  shall  read  as  follows :  "The  officers  of  the  Congress 
shall  be  a  President,  four  Vice  Presidents  at  large,  a  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  to  be  elected  by  the  Congress  at  each  session,  and  to  hold 
office  until  their  successors  are  elected,  and  a  Vice  President  from 
each  state  and  territory  to  be  elected  as  hereafter  provided.  There 
shall  be  a  standing  executive  committee,  consisting  of  two  members 
from  each  state  and  territory,  and  seven  general  officers  and  an 
advisory  board  of  five  members  to  be  consulted  by  the  officers  and 
executive  committee."  I  offer  that  as  an  amendment. 

The  motion  was  seconded. 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  I  understand  that  motion  to  mean  that 
owing  to  an  ambiguity  in  the  Constitution,  it  is  the  expression  of 
opinions  and  sentiment  of  this  body  that  by  way  of  amendment 
this  interpretation  shall  be  in  favor  of  the  larger  way  of  selecting 
the  vice  presidents,  namely,  through  the  Congress  and  not  through 
the  President.  That  being  the  interpretation  I  put  upon  the  mo- 
tion, I  suppose  the  vote  being  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution 
ought  to  be  by  states  and  territories  upon  a  call.  The  Secretary, 
however,  suggests  to  me  that  owing  to  the  early  time  in  the  morn- 
ing at  which  this  is  heard  that  we  have  the  vote  take  viva  voce,  and 
if  there  is  no  objection,  we  will  take  it  in  that  way.  I  feel  more  at 
liberty  to  do  that  because  I  look  upon  it  merely  as  an  interpretation 
of  the  existing  Constitution. 

Whereupon  the  motion  was  put  to  a  vote  and  unanimously 
carried. 

The  call  of  states  and  territories  was  then  made  by  the  Secre- 
tary, with  the  following  result: 

COMMITTEE  ON  RESOLUTIONS. 

ARIZONA 

Ramon  Soto.  J.  C.  Goodwin. 

CALIFORNIA. 

Scipio  Craig.  E.  H.  .Benjamin. 

COLORADO. 

James  F.  Callbreath,  Jr.  Geo.  W.  Schneider. 

IOWA. 
C.  F.  Saylor.  H.  M.  Stone. 

IDAHO. 

Geo.  W.  Tannahill.  J.  H.  Richards. 


34 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


Sam  Kimbal. 

W.  R.  Edwards. 
Chas.  Wegner. 
Fred  W.  Fleming. 
A.  C.  Smith. 
L.  B.  Prince. 
E.  A.  Williams. 
E.  A.  Hawkins,  Jr. 
Jos.  Stamford. 


KANSAS. 

J.  B.  Case. 

MINNESOTA. 

H.  E.  Hastings. 

MONTANA. 
MISSOURI. 

H.  B.  Topping. 

NEBRASKA. 

C.  B.  Porter. 

NEW    MEXICO. 

G.  R.  Engledow. 

NORTH    DAKOTA. 

W.  H.  Robinson. 

TEXAS. 

Edw.  F.  Harris. 
UTAH. 

John  Henry  Smith. 

WASHINGTON. 

A.  L.  Black. 


Miles  Moore. 

COMMITTEE  ON  PERMANENT  ORGANIZATION. 

ARIZONA. 

Miss   Lucy  T.   Ellis. 

CALIFORNIA. 

J.   E.   Raker. 

COLORADO. 

J.  B.  Melville. 

IOWA. 

C.   L.   Early. 

IDAHO. 

M.   E.   Lewis. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  35 

KANSAS. 

A.  J.   White. 

MINNESOTA. 

John  Kingsley. 

MISSOURI. 

E.   E.  Yates. 

NEW    MEXICO. 

L.    B.    Prince. 

NORTH    DAKOTA. 

,  John  F.  Wallace. 

OREGON. 

Tom  Richardson. 

TEXAS. 

M.  W.  Stanton. 

UTAH. 

John  R.  Barnes. 

WASHINGTON. 

Joseph  Shippen. 

HONORARY   VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

Alaska— WTilliam  A.  Kelly,  Sitka. 

Arkansas — C.  C.  Reid,  Morrillton. 

Arizona — Walter  Talbot,   Phoenix. 

California — E.  H.  Benjamin,  San  Francisco. 

Colorado — Mitchell   Benedict,  Denver. 

Iowa — J.  L.  Kamrar,  Webster  City. 

Idaho^-John   B.'  Morris,   Lewiston. 

Indian  Territory — Henry  J.  Keller,  South  McAlester. 

Kansas — John  E.  Frost,  Topeka. 

Louisiana — J.   S.  Dixon,   Natchitoches. 

Minnesota — H.  E.  Hutchings,  St.  Paul. 

Montana — David  G.  Browne,  Fort  Benton. 

Missouri — Hon.  John  W.   Noble,  St.   Louis. 

Nebraska — Henry  T.   Clarke,  Omaha. 

Nevada — E.   L.  Williams,  Reno. 

New  Mexico — G.   R.   Engledow,   Raton. 

North  Dakota — N.  G.  Larimore,  Larimore. 

Oklahoma — C.   G.  Jones,  Oklahoma   City. 

Oregon — E.  L.  Smith,  Hood  River. 

South  Dakota — Wesley  A.  Stuart,  Sturgis. 

Texas — D.   D.   Peden,   Houston. 

Utah— Wm.  N.  Williams,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Washington — Hon.  Albert  H.  Mead,  Olympia. 

Wyoming — Fennimore  Chatterton,  Cheyenne. 


36  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

Alaska — R.  H.  Kemp,  Skagway. 

Arkansas — Geo.  R.  Brown,  Little  Rock. 

Arizona — J.  W.   Benham,   Phoenix. 

California — Rufus  P.  Jennings,  San  Francisco. 

Colorado — Arthur  F.  Francis,  Cripple  Creek. 

Iowa — E.   H.  Hunter,   Des  Moines. 

Idaho— J.   R.   Good,  Boise. 

Indian  Territory — J.  G.  Rucker,  Claremore. 

Kansas — E.  E.  Hoffman,  Leavenworth. 

Louisiana — H.  M.  Mayo,  New  Orleans. 

Minnesota — John  Kingsley,  St.  Paul. 

Montana — Herbert  Strain,  Great  Falls. 

Missouri — Fred  W.  Fleming,  Kansas  City. 

Nebraska — C.  B.  Anderson,  Crete. 

Nevada — A.  H.  Manning,  Reno. 

New  Mexico — G.  R.  Engledow,  Raton. 

North  Dakota— W.  N.  Steele,  Rolla1. 

Oklahoma — J.  H.  Johnston,  Oklahoma  City. 

Oregon — Tom  Richardson,  Portland. 

South  Dakota — Homer  Johnson,  Armour. 

Texas — T.  S.  Reed,  Beaumont. 

Utah— Geo.  Romney,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Washington — J.   R.   Stevenson,   Pomeroy. 

Wyoming— W.  J.  Thorn,  Buffalo. 

T.  P.  A.— C.  W.  Ransom,  Portland,  Oregon. 

U.  C.  T.— Wat  R.  Sheldon,  Denver,  Colorado. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE  :  In  connection  with  the  matter  which  came 
up  a  little  while  ago,  I  will  state  that  an  examination  of  the  rules 
discloses  several  matters  of  ambiguity,  and  I  move  that  a  committee 
of  five  be  appointed  to  report  to  this  body  during  its  session  such 
amendments  to  the  rules  as  seem  to  be  necessary  to  make  them 
harmonious. 

The  motion  was  seconded  and  duly  carried. 

The  Chair  stated  that  he  would  announce  the  appointment  of 
this  committee  at  a  subsequent  time. 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  I  have  the  pleasure  now  to  introduce  to  the 
Congress  Major  W.  C.  Langfitt  of  the  Corps  of  United  States  En- 
gineers of  the  United  States  Army,  with  whom  you  are  all  ac- 
quainted by  reputation,  and  many  of  you  by  personal  acquaintance 
on  the  Pacific  Coast,  whose  labors  you  appreciate,  and  who  has  been 
appreciated  by  the  government  so  that  he  has  been  recognized  as 
worthy  of  advancement,  who  will  deliver  us  an  address  upon  the 
Columbia  river.  (Applause.) 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  37 

MAJOR  W.  C.  LANGFITT  thereupon  addressed  the  Congress  as 
follows : 

ADDRESS     OF     MAJOR     W.     C.     LANGFITT     ON     "COLUMBIA 

RIVER." 

The  subject  of  this  paper,  as  just  announced,  is  a  large  one,  too 
large  to  be  covered  in  the  time  at  my  disposal,  and  this,  together  with 
my  lack  of  preparedness,  is  my  apology  for  lack  of  sequence  and  incom- 
pleteness. 

The  Columbia  River  is  the  second  largest  river  in  the  United 
States;  it  is  the  largest  river  along  the  whole  Pacific  Coast,  and  is  in 
fact,  one  of  the  great  rivers  of  the  world.  Its  drainage  area  is 
approximately  245,000  square  miles,  and  its  discharge  varies  from  over 
50,000  cubic  feet  per  second  to  1,500,000  cubic  feet  per  second  or  more. 
The  Cascade  range  of  mountains  divides  the  drainage  basin  into  two 
parts  of  which  it  is  estimated  that  the  part  lying  to  the  eastward  of 
these  mountains  contains  185,000  square  miles.  This  portion  embraces 
the  great  inland  empire,  the  fertile  wheat  lands  of  Eastern  Oregon, 
Eastern  Washington  and  Idaho. 

The  natural  outlet  for  the  products  of  the  greater  portion  of  this 
•empire  is  down  the  Columbia  River  to  the  sea  and  thence  to  the 
markets  of  the  world.  Unfortunately  in  its  natural  state  there  existed 
several  complete  barriers  to  ordinary  river  navigation  between  the  east- 
ern and  western  portions  of  the  drainage  area. 

BARRIER    TO    NAVIGATION. 

These  were  the  cascades  of  the  Columbia,  fifty-five  miles  above 
the  confluence  of  the  Willamette  and  Columbia;  the  falls  and  rapids  in 
the  thirteen  miles  between  The  Dalles,  forty-five  miles  above  the  cas- 
cades, and  Celilo;  Priest  rapids,  190  miles  above  Celilo,  and  farther  up 
are  other  obstructions  not  necessary  to  mention  here. 

The  Snake  River  joins  the  Columbia  228  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Willamette  and  seventy-three  miles  below  Priest  rapids.  This 
river  is  navigable  at  all  but  the  lower  stages  and  can  be  improved  with 
comparative  ease.  It  reaches  a  large  portion  of  the  wheat  and  fruit  lands 
•of  the  eastern  area  already  mentioned.  The  Columbia  between  Celilo 
falls  and  the  Snake  needs  also  but  a  relatively  small  amount  of  work 
to  render  it  easily  navigable  for  river  boats.  The  stretch  of  thirteen 
miles  between  The  Dalles  and  Celilo  is  now  under  improvement,  work 
on  Three-Mile  rapids  having  been  prosecuted  last  season  and  to  be 
•completed  this  year.  The  first  contract  has  been  let  for  beginning 
construction  of  The  Dalles-Celilo  canal,  which  will  pass  river  boats 
around  the  Five-Mile,  Ten-Mile  rapids  and  Celilo  falls,  overcoming  at 
low  water  a  total  fall  of  eighty-one  feet  in  eight  miles. 

IMPROVEMENT  OF  RIVERS. 

A  canal  has  already  been  nearly  completed  to  overcome  the  cas- 
cades and  has  been  in  operation  since  1896.  Two  lines  of  river  steamers 
ply  regularly  between  Portland  and  The  Dalles. 

Portland  lies  on  the  banks  of  the  Willamette  River,  twelve  miles 
above  its  confluence  with  the  Columbia  and  110  miles  from  the  sea. 
Aside  from  other  natural  physical  advantages  of  its  site,  the  growth 
of  Portland  is  accounted  for  in  large  part  by  the  fact  that  it  is  located 
in  the  very  fertile  valley  of  the  Willamette  and  at  that  point  to  which 
in  early  days  the  small  seagoing  vessels  of  that  date  could  ascend.  As 
the  size  of  vessels  increased,  the  need  of  improvement  in  the  channel 


38  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

between  Portland  and  the  sea  became  imperative  and  early  operations 
were  confined  to  work  on  the  Willamette  and  Columbia  Rivers  below 
Portland— the  work  being  officially  known  as  "improvement  of  the  Co- 
lumbia and  lower  Willamette  Rivers  below  Portland,  Oregon,"  and 
does  not  include  the  "improvement  of  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River,  Oregon  and  Washington."  The  work  on  "the  Columbia  and 
lower  Willamette,"  this  is  to  say,  on  the  river  channel,  has  continued 
intermittently  as  funds  were  made  available  until  now,  with  the  aid  of 
annual  dredging,  a  navigable  channel  twenty-four  feet  in  depth  at  low 
water  is  maintained  from  the  lower  end  of  Portland  harbor  to  the  head 
of  the  estuary  of  the  river. 

DREDGING   EVERY    YEAR. 

At  low  water  in  the  river  a  tidal  range  of  two  feet  and  over  exists 
at  Portland,  the  range  increasing  down  the  river  to  about  seven  feet 
at  the  head  of  the  estuary.  The  amount  of  dredging  required  to  obtain 
these  results  above  given  is  quite  large,  but  this  would  be  immaterial 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  every  year  requires  going  over  the  same 
ground.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  has  been  nothing  done  in  way  of 
permanent  work  to  reduce  this  necessity  of  annual  dredging  in  the 
last  twelve  or  more  years,  the  funds  available  being  sufficient  only  for 
the  temporary  work  of  each  year.  The  permanent  work  previously 
done  was  totally  insufficient,  though  effective  where  well  placed. 

As  an  indication  of  the  necessity  of  permanent  work,  the  fact  may 
be  stated  that  one  dredge  is  continually  employed  in  the  estuary  to  main- 
tain a  low  water  depth  of  twenty  to  twenty-two  feet,  but  as  in  the 
estuary  the  tidal  range  averages  almost  seven  feet,  by  using  high  water 
any  vessel  that  can  use  the  river  above  can  cross  the  estuary.  As  a 
further  indication  of  the  need  of  permanent  works,  it  may  be  stated 
that  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1905,  the  total  amount  dredged 
in  maintaining  the  existing  channel  from  Portland  to  the  mouth  was 
practically  2,000,000  cubic  yards,  and  that  past  experience  shows  that 
to  maintain  the  present  status  this  amount  more  or  less  must  be  removed 
annually. 

PERMANENT    WORK    ESSENTIAL. 

It  sometimes  unavoidably  happens  that  the  dredging  cannot  keep 
pace  with  the  falling  river  after  the  June  floods,  and  several  shoals  need 
dredging  at  once,  causing  delays  to  shipping.  By  properly  designed 
permanent  works,  much  of  this  annual  dredging  could  be  eliminated 
and  the  places  where  dredging  would  be  required  reduced  in  number. 
A  combination  of  permanent  works  with  a  consequent  minimum  of 
annual  work  of  maintenance  by  dredging  is  essential.  The  estimated: 
cost  of  this  improvement  is  approximately  $2,750,000,  and  it  should  be 
made  available  in  such  manner  that  work  can  be  steadily  and  vig- 
orously pushed  without  stoppage  for  lack  of  funds.  The  fact  that  with 
small  appropriations  recurring  only  every  two  years  no  permanent 
and  sufficient  channel  can  be  obtained  is  evident,  and  I  wish  to  state 
here  that  even  the  moderate  results  in  the  way  of  channel  improve- 
ment already  obtained  would  not  have  been  possible  with  funds  ap- 
propriated by  the  general  government  alone.  The  City  of  Portland, 
through  its  Port  of  Portland  commission,  has  most  generously  aided 
in  the  work,  both  by  constructing  large  modern  dredges  and  by  operat- 
ing them  and  by  construction  of  some  permanent  work. 

The  total  expenditures  of  the  Port  of  Portland  have  exceeded 
$1,500,000,  while  the  total  expenditures  made  and  authorized  by  the 
general  government  have  aggregated  but  $2,000,000  since  1866. 

The  amount  of  seagoing  commerce  using  the  river  has  increased 
from  436,192  tons  in  1895  to  778,328  tons  in  1904.  The  belief,  with 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  39 

strong  basis  of  fact  for  its  support,  is  held  by  many  that  this  develop- 
ment will  continue  and,  further,  that  the  completion  of  the  works  for 
obtaining  an  open  river  through  the  construction  of  The  Dalles-Celilo 
canal,  already  spoken  of,  will  give  a  still  more  marked  impetus  to  sea- 
going trade. 

The  bar  at  the  entrance  of  the  Columbia  River  has  always  been 
troublesome,  even  to  the  smaller  vessels  of  earlier  days.  The  channel 
across  it  has  continually  shifted  in  position,  the  depth  has  varied  within 
comparatively  wide  limits  and,  owing  to  its  exposure,  the  crossing  dur- 
ing a  large  part  of  the  year  is  always  very  rough.  This  roughness 
necessitates  reduction  in  the  loaded  draft  of  the  vessels  that  can  be 
taken  across  the  bar  by  varying  amounts  up  to  several  feet,  depending  on 
the  state  of  the  bar  or  during  the  fall  and  winter  months,  the  most 
active  shipping  season,  involves  much  delay  to  loaded  vessels  awaiting 
the  rare  occasions  of  smooth  water. 

BAR  RESTRAINT  TO  COMMERCE. 

The  small  natural  depth  on  the  bar,  together  with  the  conditions 
just  cited,  has  limited  the  size  of  vessels  frequenting  this  port,  has  pre- 
vented general  development,  increased  the  cost  of  freights,  and  has 
caused  much  commerce,  naturally  tributary  to  this  outlet,  to  seek  other 
ports. 

Before  1885  various  plans  were  considered  for  improving  the  chan- 
nel, and  finally  in  that  year  work  was  begun  on  a  jetty  to  extend  out 
from  Point  Adams  (Fort  Stevens)  on  the  southerly  side  of  the  entrance 
to  a  point  about  three  miles  south  of  Cape  Disappointment.  This  jetty 
was  completed  in  1895  and  a  channel  thirty-one  feet  in  depth  temporar- 
ily resulted.  The  depth  in  1885  was  but  twenty  feet.  The  jetty  as  con- 
structed was  four  and  a  quarter  miles  in  length  and  practically  ad- 
vanced and  extended  the  southerly  side  of  the  entrance  so  as  to  bring 
it  abreast  of  the  northerly  side.  Such  action,  while  perhaps  a  necessary 
preliminary  to  complete  improvement,  could  not  in  the  light  of  further 
experience  be  expected  to  produce  permanent  results.  Accordingly  the 
thirty-one-foot  channel  began  to  shoal  and  vary  in  position  and  again 
became  very  unsatisfactory,  the  depth  reducing  in  1903  to  as  low  as 
twenty-one  feet  at  mean  lower  low  water. 

CONGRESS    MADE   EXAMINATION. 

Meanwhile  the  shoaling  that  had  occurred  in  1896,  1897  and  1898  led 
to  the  belief  that  further  work  was  necessary,  and  in  1899  Congress 
ordered  a  further  survey  and  examination  with  plans  and  estimates  of 
cost  looking  to  a  channel  forty  feet  deep  at  mean  lower  low  water.  This 
work  was  done  and  provided  for  a  three-mile  extension  of  the  south 
jetty  as  already  constructed.  Before  adopting  this  plan  Congress  re- 
quired a  review  thereof  by  a  board  of  engineers  with  a  view  to  decreas- 
ing the  cost,  if  possible.  The  board  reduced  the  length  of  the  projected 
extension  of  the  south  jetty  to  two  and  a  half  miles,  to  be  carried  out 
•on  a  slightly  different  line,  and  recommended  the  trial  of  a  seagoing  suc- 
tion dredge  for  temporary  relief,  and  further  stated  that  while  it  was 
hoped  that  the  extension  of  the  existing  jetty  alone  would  produce  the 
desired  results,  it  might  not  prove  so,  and  in  this  event  advised  that  a 
second  or  north  jetty  would  be  necessary. 

A  trial  of  a  seagoing  dredge  was  made,  but  owing  to  local  condi- 
tions the  results  were  not  considered  commensurate  with  the  cost  of 
operation,  and  the  dredge  was  accordingly  tied  up  until  conditions 
•should  become  more  favorable  for  its  use. 


40  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

BENEFITS   WILL  BE  GREAT. 

Work  has  proceeded  on  the  extension  of  the  south  jetty  as  recom- 
mended by  the  board  and  is  now  being  vigorously  prosecuted.  In 
order  to  complete  it,  however,  the  sum  of  $850,000  is  needed  in  addi- 
tion to  the  $300,000  authorized  but  not  appropriated  by  the  last  session 
of  Congress.  The  necessity  of  this  improvement  is  almost  self-evident. 
There  is  now  but  twent3r-three  feet  at  mean  lower  low  water  on  the 
bar.  Vessels  are  increasing  in  draft  each  year  and  the  delays  caused 
by  lack  of  depth  and  roughness  of  bar,  and  which  would  be  largely  re- 
duced by  deeper  channel,  prevent  these  large  carriers  from  frequenting 
this  port. 

The  amount  of  commerce  at  present  affected  has  already  been 
given  in  considering  the  ship  channel  from  Portland  to  the  mouth.  The 
funds  desired  are  small  compared  with  the  benefits  to  be  derived  and 
are  equally  so  when  compared  with  appropriations  for  other  some- 
what similar  ports.  Thus  the  total  appropriations  for  the  Columbia 
River  entrance  to  July  1,  1905,  aggregated  only  $4,425,745.81,  while  those 
for  Mobile  bar  and  harbor  aggregated  $5,047,647.60,  Savannah  bar  and 
harbor  $7,599,973.05  and  Galveston  bar  and  harbor  $9,739,129.66. 

That  work  on  the  jetty  should  proceed  without  stoppage  is  most 
important,  both  from  the  standpoint  of  early  results  as  well  as  from 
that  of  economy,  and  it  is  hoped  that  funds  will  soon  be  forthcoming  for 
the  reason  that  money  now  available  or  authorized  will  be  expended 
by  the  end  of  the  calendar  year.  (Applause.) 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  The  next  speaker  needs  no  introduction  to 
you ;  our  esteemed  President,  Theodore  B.  Wilcox  of  Portland,  will 
now  address  you  on  Oriental  trade.  (Applause.) 

MR.  THEODORE  R  WILCOX  thereupon  addressed  the  convention 
as  follows: 

ADDRESS  OF  MR.  THEO.  B.  WILCOX  ON  "ORIENTAL  TRADE." 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — I  am  invited  to  speak  here  to- 
day on  "Oriental  Trade,"  because  for  eighteen  years  past  1  have  taken 
part  in  its  growth  and  development,  and  while  I  know  that  from  our 
Atlantic  ports  large  quantities  of  American  products  are  shipped  to 
the  Orient  by  way  of  the  Suez  Canal,  and  around  Cape  Horn,  I  have 
been  more  interested  in  establishing  better  markets  for  the  products 
of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  transportation  for  other  American  products 
through  our  Pacific  ports,  and  it  is  from  this  standpoint  I  shall  speak. 

I  pass  over  the  period  of  early  Oriental  trading,  when  merchants 
fitted  out  vessels  in  New  York  and  London  with  ventures  of  Ameri- 
can and  European  goods,  and  went  bargaining  through  the  various 
ports  for  Oriental  products,  in  charge  of  the  old-time  supercargo,  al- 
though even  then,  a  century  ago,  Oriental  trade  had  its  attractions  and 
its  possibilities.  Not  until  1867,  and  in  view  of  the  completion  of  the 
first  railroad  across  the  American  continent,  was  there  established  a 
steamer  service  across  the  Pacific.  Small  carriers — slow  and  infrequent — 
but  during  the  following  twenty  years  the  trade  grew  to  a  fleet  of 
several  steamers,  with  a  total  carrying  capacity  of  some  30,000  tons. 
In  1887  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  established  the  Empress  line  from 
Vancouver;  in  1889  the  Union  Pacific  a  line  from  Portland;  in  1890  the 
Northern  Pacific  a  line  from  Tacoma,  and  in  1896  the  Great  Northern 
Railway  established  a  line  from  Seattle.  These  various  steamship  lines 
have  been  increased  from  time  to  time  with  more  and  larger  steamers, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  41 

many  of  them  of  the  largest  and  finest  types  afloat,  until  the  carrying 
capacity  of  the  fleet  now  employed  is  more  than  300,000  tons,  exclusive 
of  lumber  carriers.  This  will  show  you  the  growth  of  the  Oriental 
trade  from  Pacific  ports  better  than  any  other  statistics  could  do. 

The  deadweight  base  of  nearly  all  of  these  cargoes  has  been  flour, 
made  from  wheat  grown  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Now  it  is  not  an  easy 
thing  to  turn  a  people  like  the  Chinese,  who  have  followed  the  same 
customs  for  centuries,  to  new  articles  of  food.  Their  accustomed  diet 
is  rice,  and  long  before  Confucius  established  the  religion  of  the  empire, 
the  Chinese  had  adopted  the  same  articles  of  food  that  have  sufficed  for 
centuries  past.  The  establishment  of  a  flour  trade  with  such  people 
has  necessarily  been  slow  and  an  educational  process.  But  in  catering 
in  every  way  to  their  ofttimes  seemingly  peculiar  notions  of  what  they 
want  and  how  they  want  it,  much,  however,  like  the  buyers  in  other 
countries,  an  annual  trade  of  150,000  tons — six  million  bags  of  flour,  and 
requiring  seven  million  bushels  of  wheat — has  been  built  up  with  China 
alone.  This  trade  has,  however,  suffered  during  the  past  year.  Owing 
to  the  high  prices  of  wheat  in  America,  the  active  competition  of  Aus- 
tralia: and  other  causes,  it  has  fallen  off  nearly  one-third,  whether  tem- 
porarily or  otherwise  remains  to  be  seen. 

With  Japan  it  has  been  different.  Beginning  the  import  of  flour  in 
quantities  only  in  1897,  this  trade  has  grown  rapidly,  and  though  it  has 
been  fostered  and  cultivated  but  half  the  time,  it  already  equals  the  vol- 
ume marketable  in  China,  and  while  doubtless  some  of  it  supplies  the  re- 
quirements of  the  war  at  present,  the  growth  of  the  trade  and  the  manner 
of  its  growth,  point  to  a  constantly  increasing  volume.  The  Japanese  have 
already  realized  that  wheaten  foodstuffs  as  employed  by  other  peoples 
make  for  a  better  physical  manhood,  and  that  strength  of  bone  and 
muscle  begets  a  higher  mental  development.  Eventually,  we  are  told, 
much  of  the  cereal  foods  of  both  China;  and  Japan  will  come  from  Man- 
churia. But  Manchuria  will  remain  a  part  of  China,  and  be  but  slowly 
colonized  by  Japan,  and  its  production  of  wheat  will  not  overtake  the  de- 
mand already  established,  for  many  years  to  come.  But  the  rapidly  in- 
creasing population  of  the  United  States,  and  especially  of  the  Pacific 
Coast  States,  make  it  very  problematical  what  our  surplus  wheat  crop 
may  be,  long  before  China  and  Japan  produce  their  own  supply  in  Man- 
churia. The  total  exportable  surplus  of  the  Pacific  Coast  at  present  would 
feed  but  ten  or  twelve  millions  of  people,  as  we  use  flour.  From  this 
must  be  deducted  the  increasing  requirements  of  Central  and  South 
America  and  the  Pacific  islands;  and  unless  our  wheat  production  in- 
creases more  rapidly  than  our  increasing  population  may  require,  the 
limit  of  our  ability  to  feed  the  Orient  will  soon  be  reached,  and  they 
must  look  to  Australia,  to  the  territory  east  of  the  Rockies,  to  Manitoba 
or  to  Manchuria.  Meanwhile  the  fact  remains  that  the  development 
of  the  Oriental  flour  trade  has  taken  approximately  one-third  to  one- 
half  of  the  surplus  wheat  of  the  Pacific  coast  at  prices  above  an  Euro- 
pean basis,  at  prices  which  have  been  remunerative  to  the  producer,  and 
at  prices  which  have  advanced  the  value  of  farm  lands  in  ten  years  from 
$10.00  per  acre  to  $40.00  and  $50.00,  and  even  more.  It  is  not  a  great 
matter  in  bushels  or  dollars,  compared  with  millions  of  Atlantic  or  gulf 
exports,  but  it  is  enough  to  bring  prosperity  and  happiness  to  the  thou- 
sands of  Pacific  coast  farmers. 

The  demands  of  the  Orient  for  American  cotton  goods  is  not  new, 
but  it  has  grown  in  volume  until  for  the  year  ending  June  30  last  the 
total  value  of  our  exports  was  nearly  $30,000,000,  of  which  China  alone 
took  $28,000,000 — a  pretty  fair  amount  of  money  from  people  working 
for  six  to  fifteen  cents  per  day. 

With  the  close  of  the  war  between  China  and  Japan  in  1894,  Japan 
took  up  more  extensively  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods — for  her  own 


42  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

people  and  for  Chinese  and  Corean  markets.  To  produce  goods  that 
would  compete  with  American  goods,  she  wanted  American  long- 
fibered  cotton  to  mix  with  the  cheaper  grades  of  India  and  China,  and 
her  purchases  of  American  cotton  in  1904  amounted  to  315,000  bales,, 
valued  at  $17,000,000 — not  a  great  trade  in  volume,  nor  a  great  part  of 
our  cotton  crop,  but  great  enough,  with  the  requirements  for  manufac- 
tured cotton  sent  to  the  Orient,  to  remove  the  surplus  and  reduce  the 
supply  below  the  usual  demand,  with  higher  prices  and  greater  pros- 
perity throughout  the  south. 

The  demand  for  American  lumber  has  amounted  in  the  past  year 
to  55,000,000  feet,  valued  at  $600,000 — not  a  large  part  of  the  total  out- 
put of  the  northwestern  mills,  amounting  to  some  4,000,000,000  feet,  but 
a  thriving,  profitable  and  growing  trade. 

There  is  a  long  list  of  American  products  sent  to  Oriental  markets 
— clocks,  watches,  typewriters,  bicycles,  sewing  machines,  locomotives 
and  other  machinery,  nails,  leather,  copper,  tobacco  and  oil.  In  all 
these  articles  your  American  merchant  and  manufacturer  has  spent  time 
and  money  educating  the  Oriental  buyer  in  their  various  uses,  creating 
a  want  and  then  filling  it.  The  trade  in  no  one  of  these  articles  is 
great,  but  in  the  aggregate  our  exports  total  some  twelve  to  fifteen- 
million  dollars  per  month — not  much  when  compared  with  the  enormous 
total  of  American  exports;  but  the  building  up  of  this  Oriental  trade 
has  been  the  hope  and  the  early  future  growth  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
the  southern  cotton  grower  and  the  eastern  manufacturer  have  not 
been  unmindful  of  its  possibilities. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  in  those  portions  of  China  readily 
accessible  to  trade  relations,  somewhere  near  four  hundred  million  peo- 
ple, more  than  all  the  United  States  and  Western  Europe  combined,, 
but  with  little  or  no  purchasing  power,  which  is,  in  fact,  the  keynote 
to  the  slow  progress  that  has  been  made  in  the  development  of  the 
trade.  With  the  ending  of  the  present  war  and  the  settlement  of  the 
political  status  of  China,  there  will  be  an  influx  of  foreign  capital  to- 
build  and  equip  railroads  and  waterways,  mines  will  be  operated,  fac- 
tories will  spring  up,  trade  and  commerce  will  be  done  on  modern  lines, 
labor  will  be  in  demand  at  advancing  rates,  and  the  purchasing  power 
will  rapidly  increase,  as  it  has  done  in  Japan  since  her  awakening,  and 
will  continue  to  do,  as  she  establishes  and  maintains  herself  as  one  of 
the  great  nations  of  the  earth.  What  man  can  measure  the  possibilities 
of  trade  with  the  Orient,  or  even  of  China  alone,  during  even  the  next 
ten  years?  Other  nations  than  ours  are  alert  to  its  possibilities,  and 
its  development  is  not  for  us  alone,  nor  are  its  fruits.  England  has 
her  Hong  Kong,  France  her  Saigon  and  Amoy,  and  Germany  has  planted 
herself  on  the  Shan  Tung  peninsula.  We  have  planted  ourselves  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  in  the  Philippine  islands,  from  which  somewhat  re- 
mote bases  the  lamented  John  Hay  has  tried  to  hold  open  the  door 
to  this  Pandora  of  trade,  while  the  underlings  of  the  government,  the 
petty  office-holder  and  hanger-on  have  subjected  Chinese  merchants,, 
students  and  travelers  of  high  character,  and  for  whose  proper  and 
courteous  treatment  our  treaty  stipulates  and  our  national  honor  de- 
mands, to  humiliating  and  physically  uncomfortable  treatment,  of  such 
character  and  frequency  that  Chinese  of  the  privileged  class,  men  of 
importance  and  influence  in  their  communities,  have  returned  home  and 
spread  abroad  among  their  people  that  we  are  violators  of  international 
courtesy,  faithless  to  our  treaty  obligations,  and  naught  but  western 
barbarians,  unfit  and  unworthy  of  even  commercial  cultivation.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

But  further  than  this  we  have  given  to  other  nations,  to  our  com- 
petitors for  this  trade  with  China,  such  a  weapon  against  us  as  will 
prove  our  undoing,  if  not  quickly  destroyed.  We  have  been  guilty  of 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  43 

such  offenses  against  a  friendly  nation,  against  a  buyer  of  our  products, 
that  we  may  look  for  sharp  retaliation,  possibly  instigated  by  competing 
nations,  possibly  only  the  turning  of  the  worm.  Already  from  Shanghai, 
the  center  of  foreign  influences,  comes  the  boycott  of  not  only  Ameri- 
can goods,  but  of  American  vessels,  and  doubtless  of  Americans  them- 
selves. But  I  want  to  say  here  that  the  boycott  is  a  two-edged  sword, 
and  agitation  against  Americans  may  not  stop  with  the  American  in  a 
land  where  all  foreigners  are  "devils."  Whether  a  boycott  of  American 
goods  and  American  people  by  the  Chinese  merchants  combined  in  the 
guilds  or  chambers  of  commerce  may  or  may  not  meet  with  the  approval 
of  the  Chinese  government,  is  immaterial.  Gentlemen  will  tell  you  that 
China  must  have  American  products,  but  there  is  nothing  now  supplied 
by  us  which  cannot  be  procured  from  other  sources.  The  Chinese  gov- 
ernment cannot  force  her  merchants  to  buy  American  goods,  and  while 
the  attitude  remains  as  it  is,  and  if  a  general  boycott  be  established, 
Australia  will  furnish  the  flour,  India  the  cotton,  British  Columbia  the 
lumber,  and  European  nations  the  balance  of  their  requirements.  Causes 
which  lead  to  such  interference  with  trade  may  be  removed,  but  a  trade 
once  interfered  with  by  such  causes  can  only  be  regained,  if  at  all,  by 
long  years  of  work  and  sacrifice  of  profits. 

The  situation  must  be  met  and  satisfied  without  delay.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  has  undertaken  to  secure  proper  treatment 
at  our  entry  ports  for  the  privileged  classes  of  China,  but  so  long  has 
this  been  delayed,  so  flagrant  have  been  our  offenses,  that  jt  is  doubtful 
if  this  will  now  suffice  to  restore  our  proper  trade  relations.  It  may  suf- 
fice with  the  Chinese  government,  but  will  it  satisfy  the  Chinese  mer- 
chants? Will  it  destroy  the  weapon  we  have  given  our  competitors? 
Will  it  remove  the  boycott  against  American  products? 

I  am  a  laboring  man,  born  of  working  people.  I  am  a  believer  in 
the  right  of  all  true  and  honest  laborers  to  combine  their  strength  to 
secure  proper  wages  and  conditions  under  which  they  labor.  I  do  not 
hold  organized  labor  responsible  for  the  errors  or  crimes  of  the  indi- 
vidual, and  I  have  tried  to  do  my  part  in  upholding  the  dignity  of  labor 
by  laboring  myself,  by  paying  good  wages,  by  helping  my  employees  to 
secure  their  own  homes.  I  have  befriended  them  in  times  of  sickness 
and  trouble,  and  I  am  not  willing  to  offer  any  suggestion,  or  knowingly 
join  in  any  plan  which  will  prove  a  menace  to  the  best  interests  of  true 
and  honest  labor,  but  the  dignity  and  prosperity  of  the  American  farmer, 
the  American  cotton  grower  and  the  American  manufacturer  must  not 
be  sacrificed  or  jeopardized,  in  the  solution  of  the  difficulties  that  con- 
front us.  (Prolonged  applause.) 

I  have  never  employed  a  Chinaman  except  in  my  kitchen,  but  as 
a  man  who  loves  his  country  and  his  fellowmen,  who  wants  to  see  the 
United  States  the  first,  the  best  and  the  greatest  in  all  times  and  in  all 
places,  I  say,  if  it  shall  become  necessary  in  the  negotiation  of  a  new 
treaty  with  China,  to  satisfy  the  Chinese  government,  or  to  satisfy  the 
Chinese  merchants  and  remove  the  boycott  in  order  to  protect  Ameri- 
can trade,  that  we  consent  to  the  admission  of  a  limited  number  of 
Chinese  coolies,  I  shall  favor  such  action  to  such  extent  as  Chinese  coolie 
labor  can  be  employed  within  our  domaini  without  serious  detriment  to 
our  own  American  "laborers.  Chinese  coolies  to  perform  the  labor  on 
sugar  plantations  are  a  pressing  need  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  the 
prosperity  of  that  portion  of  our  country  demands  them.  On  the 
Pacific  Coast  there  is  a  dearth  of  laborers  to  perform  work  which  in 
their  absence  remains  undone.  There  is  the  clearing  of  lands,  cultiva- 
tion of  sugar  beets,  fruit  raising,  hop  growing  and  common  labor  that 
will  not  pay  the  wages  which  white  labor  demands,  and  if  it  becomes  a 
bone  of  contention,  or  a  necessity  to  the  solution  of  the  question,  I 


44  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

am  in  favor  of  admitting  a  sufficient  number  of  Chinese  coolies  to  supply 
our  own  needs,  and  satisfy  the  requirements  of  the  case.  (Applause.) 

In  the  early  stages  of  agitation  for  the  exclusion  of  the  Chinese 
coolie,  the  one  port  of  arrival  and  departure  was  San  Francisco,  and 
it  was  here  that  the  Oriental  first  became  obnoxious.  But  today  with 
the  five  ports  of  entry,  a  limited  number  will  be  distributed  over  a  far 
greater  territory  and  be  found  far  less  offensive  than  formerly,  and  a 
limited  number  can  be  used  to  advantage.  Terrifying  spectacles  of  race 
riot  and  bloodshed,  by  reason  of  the  admission  of  the  coolie,  have  been 
held  up  to  us  by  newspapers  and  politicians,  but  I  question  whether 
there  have  ever  been  cases  of  such  disturbances  of  the  peace  in  the 
past  where  the  Chinaman  has  been  the  aggressor,  but  always  the  inoffen- 
sive, unoffending  worker,  upon  whose  head  have  been  visited  the  venge- 
ance of  individuals,  for  whom  I  do  not  hold  organized  labor  responsible; 
but  I  believe  that  a  moderate  number  sufficient  to  cover  our  own  neces- 
sities could  be  easily  assimilated  and  absorbed  in  the  interests  that 
require  that  kind  of  labor,  and  would  be  of  vast  benefit  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  western  country.  I  am  confident,  moreover, 
that  white  labor  that  commands  good  wages  would  not  be  injured  or 
disturbed  in  any  way  by  such  a  course;  and  it  is  necessary  today  for  the 
laborer  and  the  politician  as  for  serious  thinking  progressive  men,  to 
join  ini  hastening  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  protecting  and  maintain- 
ing American-Oriental  commerce.  Heedless  and  unjustified  exclusion  of 
the  Chinese  will  inevitably  mean  the  coupling  with  it  the  exclusion  of 
Japanese.  Already  an  organization  known  as  the  Japanese  and  Corean 
League  has  been  formed  in  California  for  the  purpose  of  projecting  legis- 
lation that  will  bar  from  our  shores  even  the  Japanese,  but  there  are 
few  politicians,  or  even  laborers,  who  will  care  to  assume  the  responsi- 
bility of  striking  the  first  blow  at  this  newly  discovered  nation,  and  our 
amicable  and  friendly  relations  with  them. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  solution  of  this  question  lies  in  a  revision 
of  our  immigrant  laws.  It  is  too  late  to  raise  the  cry  of  America  for 
Americans,  but  it  is  not  too  late  to  demand  that  every  citizen  of  this 
Republic  shall  be  Americans  in  all  that  the  word  implies,  and  that  no 
other  nation  of  the  world  may  longer  utilize  the  United  States  as  a 
place  to  deport  their  criminals  under  the  guise  of  immigration  or  col- 
onization. It  is  high  time  that  the  gateways  of  international  travel  be 
closed  against  the  undesirable  element  of  all  nations.  The  most  pressing 
problem  before  the  American  nation  today  is  not  Chinese  exclusion, 
but  the  exclusion  of  the  undesirable  class  of  every  nation  and  every 
clime  from  the  United  States  in  the  future.  Paupers  with  the  instincts 
of  poverty  and  misery  through  generations,  criminals  of  any  sort  or 
description,  renegades  and  the  irresponsible  are  not  desired  from  any 
country.  (Wild  applause.) 

Not  a  word  of  objection  should  be  raised  against  any  man,  what- 
ever his  nationality  or  his  race,  so  long  as  lie  is  worthy  to  become  a 
ckizen  of  this  great  nation,  but  it  is  our  duty  as  citizens  of  this  Republic 
to  stop  the  influx  of  elements  that  can  never  be  properly  fused  and 
assimilated  with  true  American  citizenship.  It  is  not  class  considera- 
tion, but  a  question  that  concerns  the  man  with  the.  pick  and  shovel, 
with  the  saw  and  plane,  as  much  as  the  man  in  the  counting- 
room,  for  it  concerns  us  all  equally,  and  our  children  and  our  children's 
children.  Earnest,  honest,  far-sighted  champions  of  the  cause  of  labor- 
ing men  have  sounded  the  note  of  alarm  long  ago,  but  mot  until  the 
events  of  recent  years  in  industrial  centers  imprinted  their  scars  did 
the  people  of  the  nation  awake  to  a  realization  of  its  importance.  There 
will  be  opposition  to  any  movement  of  this  character.  Politicians  have 
not  found  it  prudent  to  uphold  any  radical  changes  in  the  laws  affecting 
immigration;  Atlantic  steamship  owners  will  fight  to  protect  their  traf- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  45 

fic,.  and  although  in  the  past  the  immigration  question  has  been  deemed 
one  that  the  East  should  settle  because  its  problems  had  not  become 
of  consequence  to  the  West,  the  time  has  come  when  the  West  has  a 
vital  and  immediate  interest  at  stake,  and  we  must  get  together  and  act, 
while  we  have  a  national  executive  great  enough  and  broad  enough  and 
brave  enough  to  settle  our  questions  with  the  world  without  hesitancy 
or  fear  or  favor.  What  shall  be  the  qualifications  to  determine  whether 
a  foreigner  may  be  admitted  or  not  is  a  matter  too  grave  and  too  im- 
portant to  decide  without  the  most  careful  consideration,  but  I  believe 
we  should  not  only  call  upon  the  President  to  appoint  an  immigrant 
commission  to  investigate  and  report  to  Congress,  with  recommenda- 
tions for  a  comprehensive  law,  stringent  and  studied,  to  cover  every 
undesirable  person  from  every  country,  but  we  should  see  to  it  that 
the  members  of  Congress,  representing  thirty  millions  of  American  citi- 
zens, give  their  time  and  effort  to  the  accomplishment  of  something 
that  should  have  been  done  a  score  of  years  ago,  and  cannot  now  be 
too  soon  concluded.  (Applause.) 

Population  is  desired  in  states  and  territories  of  the  Trans-Missis- 
sippi region,  but  not  mere  numbers  or  quantities  irrespective  of  char- 
acter or  quality.  Let  the  immigration  laws  be  remodeled  with  a  view 
to  excluding  the  undesirable  elements  from  every  nation,  but  let  them 
apply  with  equal  force  and  effect  to  every  nation  whose  people  desire 
to  join  us.  Let  them  apply  alike  to  the  hordes  of  Southern  Europe,  to 
Chinese  and  Japanese,  and  if  the  European  immigrant  cannot  comply 
with  their  requirements,  let  him  be  excluded,  and  let  the  Chinaman  or 
the  Japanese  enter  or  be  excluded  upon  exactly  the  same  terms  and 
conditions.  (Cries  of  "good.") 

Pending  such  action  as  this,  who  shall  cavil  at  the  losses  sustained 
because  of  a  boycott  on  the  part  of  China,  or  any  other  nation  whoso 
interests,  individual  or  collective,  shall  stand  for  a  moment,  in  the  way 
of  a  course  of  action  which  shall  be  for  our  country's  good  and  the 
preservation  of  the  greatest  free  and  enlightened  form  of  government 
on  earth?  (Prolonged  applause.) 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  I  will  now  introduce  Mr.  Barrett,  present 
American  Minister  to  Colombia,  who  will  address  you  on  a  topic  of 
great  interest.  (Applause.) 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  JOHN  BARRETT. 

HON.  JOHN  BARRETT: 

Mr.  President,  Members  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen — I  was  almost  happy  when  our  distinguished 
chairman  was  about  to  pass  me  by,  because  I  am  sure  it  is  a  most 
difficult  thing  to  rise  here  and  address  you  after  the  most  careful  paper 
we  have  just  heard  from  a  gentleman  who  is  an  expert  on  this  great 
question.  Although  it  has  been  my  privilege  for  a  great  many  years 
to  be  laboring  in  the  interest  of  our  trade  with  the  far  East,  and  in  that 
time  I  have  heard  papers  from  men  both  practical  ani  unpractical,  I  do 
riot  remember  of  listening  to  one  more  instructive  than  has  come  from 
tnis  representative  man  of  the  Northwest,  Mr.  Wilcox.  (Great  applause.) 

In  foreign  lands  and  at  home  I  have  heard  this  question  discussed 
in  all  its  phases,  but  with  such  an  abundance  of  profound  ignorance  that 
it  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  hear  it  discussed  from  the  standpoint  of 
practical  knowledge  by  a  practical  man;  and  I  hope  that  every  one 
here  will  carry  away  with  him  an  acute  recollection  of  all  that  Mr.  Wil- 


46  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

cox  said,  and  of  the  impartial  and  thorough  consideration  with  which  he 
treated  his  subject,  without  that  spirit  of  enmity  towards  international 
relationship  which  characterizes  so  much  of  our  comment  today. 

My  friends,  as  a  minister  of  you  all  to  foreign  countries,  let  me  say 
that  the  great  thing  which  is  working  for  our  success  as  a  nation  is  the 
application  of  the  principle  of  the  golden  rule;  the  golden  rule  applies 
to  nations  just  as  much  as  it  applies  to  men  and  women.  (Great  ap- 
plause.) The  same  laws  and  rules  that  govern  the  relationship  of  your- 
selves to  your  neighbors;  the  same  principles  and  relationship  that 
governs  one  city  in  its  relations  with  another;  one  state  with  another 
state — these  govern  the  United  States  in  its  relation  with  Europe,  Asia, 
Souh  America,  with  all  the  world,  and,  thank  heaven,  we  have  had  within 
the  last  seven  or  eight  years  a  man  who  has  stood  for  that  new  idea 
in  diplomacy,  which  has  been  of  such  benefit  to  us.  I  refer  to  the  Hon. 
John  Hay  of  lamented  memory.  (Great  applause.)  But,  as  he  has 
passed  away,  we  still  have  in  our  executive  a  man  who  has  told  every 
minister— and  there  are  some  thirty-six  or  thirty  seven  of  us — that 
wherever  we  go  we  can  understand  that  just  as  Uong  as  we  tell  the 
truth  and  give  everybody  a  square  deal,  we  will  be  backed  up.  (Great 
applause.) 

I  want  to  congratulate  Portland  on  having  the  session  of  the 
Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress.  When  I  look  back  two  years 
and  remember  how  this  hillside  was  then  rough  and  uncouth;  when 
I  remember  that  this  beautiful  lake  was  a  muddy  slough,  and  when  I 
look  now  and  see  these  wonderful  buildings,  and  in  that  lake  the  re- 
flection of  the  master  work  of  the  builder  and  the  architect,  I  say  it  is 
typical  of  the  progressive  growing  spirit  of  the  Northwest,  and  it  is 
fitting  that  here  should  come  this  year  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commer- 
cial Congress,  composed  of  the  representative,  forceful  men  of  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  country,  who  are  banded  together  to  advance  its  interests 
before  the  rest  of  the  United  States  and  before  the  world.  I  want  to 
add  credit  to  these  representative  men  of  Portland  who  have  made  this 
Exposition  a  success,  because  this  is  all  in  line  with  the  spirit  of 
Oriental  trade  and  commerce.  We  can  remember  those  who  objected, 
who  fought  the  project;  but  when  I  see  this  magnificent  triumph  I  con- 
gratulate those  who  have  carried  it  to  a  successful  conclusion.  And  I 
think  it  is  only  fitting  that  some  one  should  refer  to  the  splendid  work 
for  the  success  of  this  Congress  that  has  been  done  by  the  efficient  Sec- 
retary, Mr.  Arthur  F.  Francis,  of  Colorado.  I  have  known  of  him  for 
a  long  time,  and  I  know  how  hard  he  has  labored  to  make  this  meet- 
ing a  success,  and  I  think  you  all  join  with  me  in  that  sentiment.  (Ap- 
plause.) It  is  also  fitting  that  this  city  should  welcome  you  at  this 
time,  as  it  has  entered  upon  a  new  era  of  prosperity  and  growth,  largely 
as  the  result  of  it  being  one  of  the  gateways  to  the  Orient. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  in  all  earnestness,  I  say  to  you,  and  with 
less  knowledge  than  many  of  you,  and  with  not  more  knowledge  than 
some,  that  the  time  has  come  which  is  the  most  critical  in  the  develop- 
ment of  our  trade  with  the  far  East  and  Asia.  The  hour  is  at  hand  when 
we  must  decide  whether  our  trade  is  to  expand  with  legitimate  and 
natural  growth  or  whether  it  is  to  be  limited  by  adverse  conditions. 
We  are  at  the  turning  of  the  ways,  and  it  will  be  largely  owing  to  the 
leadership  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  whether  our 
pathway  is  onward  or  backward,  or  whether  we  shall  simply  mark  time 
and  make  no  progress.  It  is  so  serious  that  I  believe  this  Congress 
in  discussing  this  question  can  start  a  realization  of  its  seriouness  all 
over  the  United  States  which  may  save  us  from  the  loss  of  the  magnifi- 
cent trade  which  is  only  in  the  infancy  of  its  development  when  we 
look  forward  and  see  the  Pacific  Ocean  about  to  become  the  center 
of  events,  of  trade  and  commerce,  and  political,  social  and  educational 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  47 

development,  which  has  never  been  surpassed  from  the  Atlantic.  We 
have  at  this  moment  a  most  convincing  argument,  a  most  convincing 
proof  that  we  are  at  the  turning  of  the  ways,  and  that  is  in  the  Chinese 
boycott,  to  which  Mr.  Wilcox  has  referred.  When,  therefore,*  the  situa- 
tion is  so  serious  we  should  stop  a  moment  as  sensible  men  and  women 
and  consider  what  is  the  real  practical  value  of  this  .Trans-Pacific  or 
Asiatic  commerce,  and  I  hope  I  may  convince  you  that  it  is  of  such 
great  importance  that  it  is  worthy  of  our  careful  consideration  in  every 
detail. 

Let  me  call  your  attention  to  one  or  two  general  facts  which  are 
as  it  were,  the  basis  of  our  argument.  Do  you  realize  that  today  there 
are  500,000,000  of  living  human  beings  debouching  upon  the  waters  of 
the  Pacific  across  from  us,  whose  great  demand  in  the  future  for  sup- 
plying what  they  need  must  come  to  this  country  if  we  only  prepare 
the  way,  but  which  may  go,  as  Mr.  .Wilcox  has  stated,  to  the  rest  of 
the  world,  if  we  turn  our  backs  upon  them  and  reject  the  opportunities 
which  are  before  us?  Think  of  it!  Japan,  with  40,000,000  of  people,  just 
realizing  their  possibilities;  China  with  400,000,000,  Corea  with  45,000,- 
000,  Siam  with  15,000,000,  the  Philippines  with  10,000,000,  Australasia 
with  ten  or  fifteen  millions,  and  other  countries  facing  on  the  Pacific 
with  ten  or  fifteen  millions  more,  until  the  total  goes  beyond  500,000,000 
of  human  beings  who  are  just  beginning  to  realize  what  they  cam  buy 
after  their  own  internal  wealth  and  capacity  for  production  is  developed. 
I  will  not  give  you  .false  figures,  nor  picture  to  you  an  impossible  realiza- 
tion; but  take  the  actual  record  for  the  last  ten  years,  and  if  there  is  a 
man  or  woman  here  who  thinks  for  the  moment  that  I  exaggerate  or 
am  led  away  with  dreaming,  or  that  I  am  a  "hair-brained  diplomat,"  I 
want  him  or  her  to  say  so,  and  see  if  I  cannot  convince  him  or  her  that 
I  am  right. 

Remember  what  the  actual  figures  tell  you.  Ten  years  ago  the 
commerce  of  the  United  States  with  Asiatic  oceanic  Countries  amounted 
to  only  $125,000,000.  I  remember  it  very  distinctly,  because  in  those 
days  when  I  first  went  from  this  grand  old  state  as  ^minister  to  Siam 
I  know  how  hard  it  was  to  awaken  any  interest  in  this  country  in 
Asiatic  trade.  I  was  criticized  by  newspapers  for  my  prophesies  and 
enthusiasm;  so  today  I  look  upon  this  progress  with  serene  satisfac- 
tion as  some  justification  of  one  who  has  tried  to  do  his  duty  in  a 
very  humble  way.  (Great  applause.)  Ten  years  ago  the  entire  foreign 
trade  of  the  United  States  with  Asia  and  Oceanica  was  only  $125,000,000. 
For  the  year  ending  June  30,  1905,  that  trade  had  grown  to  $350,000,000, 
or  an  increase  of  $225,000,000  in  ten  years,  nearly  200  per  cent,  an  increase 
unrecorded  in  our  trade  with  Asiatic  Europe,  South  America,  Africa  or 
any  other  part  of  the  world.  (Great  applause.)  And  yet  there  are  men 
who  would  throw  away  that  enormous  trade  for  fear  one  or  two  China- 
men or  Japanese  might  get  into  this  country  by  some  mistake  or  other. 
(Applause.) 

Let  us  analyze  this  trade  a,  little  further.  We  find  that  in  1895  our 
imports  from  the  far  East  were  only  $95,000,000.  Now,  you  know  that 
any  country  in  order  to  become  a  great  market  must  buy  as  well  as 
sell.  In  1895  our  imports  were  $95,000,000;  last  year  our  imports  were 
$188,000,000,  an  increase  of  $93,000,000  in  ten  years,  or  100  per  cent. 
Here  is  something  that  will  appeal  to  you,  manufacturers,  merchants  and 
exporters.  In  1895  our  total  exports  in  manufacture  and  agricultural 
products  to  this  far  eastern  country  was  only  $30,000,000.  Last  year — re- 
member this,  those  of  you  who  would  minimize  this  trade — it  amounted 
to  $160,000,000,  or  an  increase  of  500  per  cent,  never  known  before  in  the 
history  of  the  United  States.  And  yet,  ten  years  ago  the  San  Francisco 
Chronicle  called  me  "a  hair-brained  diplomat"  because  I  said  our  com- 
merce ought  to  double  in  ten  years.  If,  in  the  last  ten  years  we  have 


48  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

developed  our  trade  $130,000,000,  why  should  we  not  in  the  next  ten 
years  increase  it  from  $160,000,000  to  $500,000,000?  (Great  applause.) 
My  friends,  our  exports  have  increased  three  times  as  fast  as  our  im- 
ports in  our  trade  with  the  far  East.  Does  not  that  show  the  value  of 
the  market?  There  are  lots  of  countries  where  our  imports  have  in- 
creased far  more  rapidly  than  our  exports.  That  points  to  you  the 
practical  value  of  this  trade. 

Another  thing:  Let  us  notice  the  last  five  years.  We  find  that 
from  1900  to  1905  the  increase  of  our  foreign  trade  with  the  far  East 
has  increased  $124,000,000.,  which  is  about  50  per  cent.  If  you  look  over 
the  increase  of  our  trade  with  South  America,  with  Canada  or  Asia,  you 
will  find  that  the  increase  with  the  Orient  is  far  ahead  of  what  it  is 
with  any  other  part  of  the  world.  Perhaps  a  few  comparisons  will  illus- 
trate this  better;  we  often:  size  up  things  by  observing  how  they  stand 
along  with  other  things.  We  draw  conclusions  largely  by  comparison. 
South  America  today  is  one  of  the  most  inviting  fields.  Perhaps  I  can 
say  that  with  a  little  measure  of  interest,  because  of  having  served  you  as 
minister  in  three  different  countries  of  South  America.  I  believe  South 
America  has  a  magnificent  future,  and  I  fear  we  have  been  too  long 
holding  the  mote  in  our  own  eye  and  the  beam  in  the  eye  of  criticism, 
when  possibly  we  should  have  taken  the  beam  out  of  our  own  eye 
before  we  said  so  much  about  the  Latins.  The  more  I  see  of  the  Latin 
people,  the  more  I  am  convinced  there  is  a  great  deal  in  their  favor.  I 
have  never  heard  stories  of  graft,  as  we  call  it,  among  them.  In  the 
great  City  of  Buenos  Ayres,  one  of  the  most  magnificent  capitals  in  all 
the  world,  I  never  heard  a  suggestion  of  municipal  graft,  and  it  is  one 
of  the  best  governed  cities  I  ever  lived  in.  There  is  also  that  great  gov- 
ernment, the  United  States  of  South  America,  growing  more  rapidly 
than  any  other  in  the  world  except  our  own;  there  were  some  talks 
of  revolution,  but.  none  of  defalcations  or  peculation:  among  government 
officials.  (Great  applause.)  Revolution  there  represented  in  a  measure 
the  spirit  of  enthusiasm,  a  desire  'among  the  people  to  have  good  govern- 
ment in  its  administration  everywhere.  So,  let  us  stop  and  think  some- 
times in  this  country,  if  we  haven't  a  little  beam  in  our  own  eye  before  we 
criticize  too  much.  In  1895  our  trade  with  South  America  was  $145,000,- 
000.  In  1905  it  had  grown  to  $207,000,000,  an  increase  of  62  per  cent. 
Bear  in  mind,  now,  the  figures  for  the  corresponding  time  in  our  trade 
with  the  Orient  was  $350,000,000  as  against  $207,000,000  with  South 
America,  an  increase  of  42  per  cent  with  South  America,  and  an  in- 
crease with  Asia  of  over  200  per  cent. 

Now  a  word  more  with  regard  to  the  far  eastern  question.  The  most 
critical  period  in  the  history  of  American-Asiatic  commerce  would  seem 
to  be  at  hand.  The  developments  of  the  next  year  will  decide  whether 
the  trade  of  the  United  States  with  the  trans-Pacific  countries  is  to  ex- 
pand with  legitimate  and  gratifying  growth  or  to  be  limited  by  adverse 
conditions.  Either  Europe  or  the  United  States  is  to  be  the  dominating 
influence  in  the  foreign  commerce  of  Asia,  according  as  events  of  the 
following  year  shape  themselves.  This  is  a  note  of  warning  inspired 
by  facts  known  to  all  students  of  Oriental  trade.  We  are  already  face 
to  face  with  a  crisis  that  has  come  upon  us  with  startling  rapidity,  but 
convincing  force. 

The  Chinese  boycott  in  the  terms  of  its  expounders  is  the  culmina- 
tion of  influences  that  have  been  at  work  for  years,  and  represents 
the  climax  of  remonstrance  against  the  failure  of  our  people,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Chinese,  to  carry  out  the  principles  of  the  golden  rule  in 
dealing  with  Asiatics.  It  therefore  behooves  net  only  our  commercial 
interests  but  the  people  at  large  first  to  consider  and  ^analyze  without 
delay  the  conditions,  character  and  importance  of  our  commerce  with 
Asia,  and  then  to  act  accordingly. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  49 

The  defenders  and  promoters  of  the  Chinese  boycott  declare  that 
China  is  asking  a  new  deal  and  a  square  deal  in  her  relations  with  the 
foreign  world.  She  is  awakening  to  a  sense  of  her  inherent  rights  and  of 
her  latent  power.  She  is  realizing  as  never  before  the  value  of  her 
markets  and  the  capacity  of  her  vast  population  directed  along  ad- 
vanced lines.  While  as  a  government  she  .^cannot  possibly  have  any 
unkind  feeling  toward  our  government,  the  Chinese  higher  classes  can- 
not understand  why  they  should  be  treated  differently  from  the  corre- 
sponding classes  of  other  races  and  nations  who  may  wish  to  enter  the 
United  States. 

There  is  no  greater  mistake  than  to  think  of  China  as  a  nation  ex- 
clusively of  coolies.  She  has  millions  of  men  distributed  over  her  em- 
pire who  possess  intelligence,  refinement  and  wealth. 

The  Chinese  have  a  distinct  racial  and  national  pride  that  we  are 
prone  to  overlook.  It  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  China,  like  Japan, 
will  startle  the  world  with  her  onward  movement,  and  yet  it  was  only 
a  few  years  ago  that  foreigners  looked  upon  the  Japanese  as  they  do  now 
upon  the  Chinese. 

In  discussing  the  possible  dangers  of  Asiatic  labor  competition  and 
Asiatic  immigration,  it  is  well1  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  price  of  labor 
along  the  whole  Asa.tic  coast  from  Singapore  to  Yokohama  has  in- 
creased on  an  average  of  25  per  cent,  according  to  quality  and  skill,  in 
the  last  decade,  and  bids  fair  to  keep  on  increasing  proportionately  during 
the  next  ten  years. 

As  for  the  Chinese,  in  addition  to  pur  having  little  to  fear  from 
the  just  application  of  the  present  exclusion  la.w,  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  as  a  hopeful  condition  that  the  number  of  coolies  who  might  wish 
to  enter  our  borders  or  those  of  other  countries  is  now  largely  regu- 
lated by  the  powerful  Chinese  guilds,  which,  for  their  own  interests,  ar- 
range that  the  supply  shall  not  exceed  the  legitimate  demand.  Further- 
more, there  is  no  doubt  that  if  China  inaugurates  the  material  and  inter- 
nal development  that  now  seems  imminent,  the  home  demand  of  China, 
supported  by  the  natural  preference  of  the  Chinaman  for  his  own  land 
as  a  field  of  labor  or  residence,  will  tend  to  limit  those  who  would  come 
to  the  United  States. 

The  so-called  yellow  peril,  viewed  in  a  practical  light,  can  be  de- 
scribed as  a  "bogie."  The  yellow  peril  may  be  made  a  yellow  blessing. 
The  more  Japan  has  developed  her  own  industries,  resources  and  com- 
peting capacity  with  the  foreign  world  the  more  has  she  purchased 
from  it.  Japan  as  a  manufacturing  or  industrial,  nation  has  now  a  total 
trade  with  the  United  States  of  $100,000,000  per  annum,  against  one-fourth 
of  that  amount  when  she  began  her  new  era  as  a  world  power.  Since 
China  commenced  at  Shanghai  and  other  treaty  ports  to  foster  her  in- 
dustrial interests  her  trade  with  the  United  States  has  grown  until  last 
year  it  reached,  including  Hongkong,  the  unprecedented  total  of  $92,000,- 
000,  which  is  triple  what  it  was  a  decade  ago. 

It  is  illogical  and  unjust  to  predict  that  universal  peril  and  danger 
will  result  from  the  material,  social  and  political  awakening  and  ad- 
vancement of  Asia.  Along  with  Japan's  growth  in  military  and  political 
prowess  she  is  bending  her  energies  to  the  betterment  and  enlighten- 
ment of  her  people.  This  condition  will  be  just  as  characteristic  of  the 
Chinese  when  the  movement  for  progress  is  fully  inaugurated.  Japan 
and  China  will  purchase  from  abroad  as  they  become  greater  manu- 
facturing and  producing  nations.  In  other  words,  as  ou"r  foreign  trad'e 
has  swelled  in  harmony  with  internal  development,  so  will  that  of  China 
and  Japan,  and  dispel  the  nightmare  of  the  yellow  peril. 

When  we  remember  the  amount  of  capital  and  the  number  of  labor- 
ers that  are  beneficiaries  of  an  annual  trade  of  $350,000,000  with  Pacific 
countries,  we  must  consider  well  and  carefully  any  harsh  measures, 


50  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

methods  or  policies  that  may  tend  to  cripple  or  reduce  such  a  mighty- 
traffic.  We  must  determine  soon  whether  this  trade  shall  advance  rapidly 
and  surely  to  the  $1,000,000,000  mark,  with  corresponding  employment 
of  capital  and  labor,  or  remain  stationary  or  sluggush  with  unfortunate 
effect  on  capital  and  labor  alike.  The  possible  results  of  the  Chinese 
boycott  come  home  to  us  with  special  emphasis  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
our  exports  to  China  are  nearly  twice  as  great  a£  our  imports  from  that 
country  and  the  tendency  of  expansion  must  be  largely  in  the  line  of 
export  trade. 

Ten  years  ago  the  total  foreign  commerce  of  the  United  States 
that  went  through  and  came  into  Pacific  ports,  like  Portland,  Puget 
Sound  and  San  Francisco,  was  valued  at  $76,000,000.  This  last  year  it 
amounted  to  $165,000,000.  (Great  applause.) 

I  want  to  be  understood  before  I  go  any  further  that  I  am  not 
one  moment  reflecting  upon  the  honesty  and  fairness  of  judgment  of 
those  who  hold  different  views.  There  is  in  ttiis  country  the  right  of 
holding  opinion  just  as  you  choose  and  expressing  it  as  freely  as  you 
wish.  That  is  the  glory  of  our  institutions,  and  I  stand  as  strongly  as 
any  man  for  the  execution  of  our  laws;  but  I  believe  those  laws  should 
not  be  strained  until  a  great  nation  is  insulted.  I  see  no  more  reason 
why  we  should  bend  backward  than  that  we  should  bend  forward,  and 
close  our  eyes;  let  us  stand  simply  straight  and  give  everybody  a  square 
deal;  that  is  all  we  want  and  that  is  all  China  wants.  (Great  applause.) 
Let  us  rise  up  and  exhibit  to  the  world  a  white  race  that  can  stand  on 
a  pedestal  and  be  white  in  the  true  meaning  of  the  term,  and  present 
such  an  example  to  Asia,  South  America  and  Europe  as  is  worthy  of  that 
splendid  citizenship  which  this  country  can  produce  when  it  tries.  (Great 
applause.)  In  other  words,  let  us  remember  that  whether  there  is  a 
yellow  peril  or  a,  yellow  blessing  in  Japan  and  China  depend  fargely 
upon  the  example  which  this  nation  sets  to  all  the  world.  Whether 
Japan  shall  go  onward,  and  China  with  her  400,000,000,  and  become  a 
mighty  influence  for  good  throughout  the  world  largely  depends  upon 
the  example  and  influence  of  the  American  people.  It  is  a  sign  of 
promise  that  we  can  gather  together  today  so  many  thoughtful  men 
and  women  carefully  to  consider  these  questions.  Therefore,  let  us  go- 
forward  with  confidence;  let  us  feel  in  our  hearts  that  spirit  of  joy 
which  this  sunlight  now  brings  into  this  room,  because  we  have  these 
great  problems;  let  us  look  beyond  ourselves,  and  in  the  same  way  that 
we  are  discussing  these  great  problems  in  our  states,  cities  and  towns, 
go  out  to  the  four  corners  of  the  world  and  find  everywhere  a  welcoming 
hand  for  the  true  American.  I  thank  you.  (Great  applause.) 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  I  am  sure  that  I  but  voice  the  sentiment  of 
this  Congress  in  saying  that  we  most  highly  appreciate,  and  are 
very  thankful  to  the  eminent  gentleman,  our  President,  and  par- 
ticularly our  minister  to  Colombia,  for  the  eloquent  and  instructive 
argument  and  persuasive  addresses  they  have  given  us  upon  the 
trade  of  the  Orient.  (Applause.)  I  now  have  the  pleasure  of  in- 
troducing to  you  Hon.  F.  B.  Thurber  oFNew  York,  president  of  the- 
United  States  Export  Association,  who  will  address  you  on  the 
subject  of  "The  Future  Markets  in  the  Orient." 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  51 

HON.  F.  B.  THURBER: 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  F.  B.  THURBER. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen— We  have  had  so  much  of  fact 
and  eloquence  that  it  is  rather  difficult  to  tread  in  such  shoes.  I  think 
it  was  Colton  in  his  Lacon  who  said  that  "Reading  maketh  a  full  man, 
conference  a  ready  main,  writing  an  exact  man."  We  have  had  pretty 
good  illustrations  of  the  full  man  and  the  ready  man;  but  I  do  not 
know  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  fill  the  bill  of  the  exact  man.  However, 
before  starting  in  with  my  paper  I  want  to  say  a  word  about  Hon.  John 
Barrett.  I  have  known  him  a  good  many  years,  and  he  has  been  one 
of  the  most  useful  men  to  the  people  and  the  commerce  of  the  United 
States  that  we  have  ever  had.  The  San  Francisco  editor  who  termed 
him  "a  hair-brained  diplomat"  made  the  biggest  mistake  of  his  life.  It 
would  perhaps  be  well  if  some  of  our  other  diplomats  had  a  few  of 
the  qualities  which  Mr.  Barrett  possesses.  (Applause.)  You  remember 
that  at  one  time  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union  called  on 
President  Lincoln  to  protest  against  the  further  continuance  of  General 
Grant  as  general  of  the  army.  He  asked  what  their  objection  was. 
Why,  he  drinks."  "Well,  what  does  he  drink?"  "He  drinks  whisky." 
"Do  you  know  what  kind  of  whisky  he  drinks?"  "No,  Mr.  President; 
why  do  you  ask"  "Well,"  replied  the  President,  "I  would  like  to  get  a 
little  of  that  same  kind  of  whisky  for  some  of  the  other  Generals." 
(Laughter.) 

What  all  juries  want  are  facts  upon  which  they  can  base  conclu- 
sions, and  therefore  the  great  big  jury  of  public  opinion  comprised  in 
the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  will,  I  am  sure,  pardon  me 
if  I  give  you  in  this  paper  more  facts  and  opinions  of  others  than  I  do 
of  my  own. 

At  the  same  time  counsel  before  a  jury,  in  his  opening,  usually 
indicates  what  he  expects  to  prove,  and  I  cannot  better  do  this  than 
by  giving  you  an  extract  from  an  editorial  in  "The  Age  of  Steel,"  pub- 
lished in  St.  Louis,  some  years  ago,  entitled: 

"THE  CHANGING  MAP  OF  TRADE." 

"There  is  no  fixedness  in  commercial  supremacy.  It  has 
come  and  gone  from  one  nation  to  another,  and  all  the  way 
down  the  page  of  history  the  bright  and  dark  lines  have  had 
their  changing  alternations.  They  are  changing  now,  and  the 
sifting  lines  are  slowly  shaping  the  destinies  of  nations,  young 
and  old.  Rightly  or  wrongly,  by  fair  means  or  foul,  the  older 
nations  are  pushing  their  conquests  or  colonies  wherever  the 
opportunity  offers,  to  retain  their  grip  on  commerce,  by  secur- 
ing new  markets  for  their  surplus  products. 

"Commercial  necessity  has  replaced  the  old  lust  of  empire, 
and  is  really  the  key  to  the  avidity  with  which  Europe  is  divid- 
ing Africa  as  hunters  do  their  game,  and  is  casting  its  eyes 
over  continents  and  oceans  for  commercial  territory. 

"It  is  beyond  a  doubt  of  peradventure  a  sober  and  unde- 
niable fact  that  the  routes  of  commerce  are  shifting  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  In  that  direction  lies  the  future  arena 
of  the  world's  struggle  for  commercial  supremacy.  A  glance 
at  the  growth  of  populations  from  the  western  slopes  of  the 
Rockies  to  the  sunset  rim  of  its  sea  lines,  and  from  Alaska  to 
the  Mexican  border,  with  what  it  signifies  of  enterprise  and 
development,  we  see  the  massing  of  a  commercial  momen- 
tum that  will  dot  the  Pacific  with  its  ships  and  overlap  the 


52  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

fringes  of  Asia.  The  eddies  of  this  movement  will  eventually- 
spread  beyond  the  Isthmus  to  the  Horn,  and  history  will  run 
its  iron  pen  over  an  opening  chapter  in  the  story  of  man. 
With  Siberia  intersected  with  Russian  railways,  and  its  areas 
populated;  with  Japan  a  new  and  potent  factor  in  the  East, 
and  China  waking  out  of  its  long  slumber,  to  say  nothing 
.  of  the  future  of  Australasia,  with  its  persistent  and  aggressive 
race,  it  needs  no  prophet  to  forecast  the  coming  change  in  the 
map  of  commerce. 

"The  place  of  the  United  States  in  this  recasting  of  history 
is  settled  by  its  geography.  From  a  national  point  of  view, 
this  outlook  is  more  than  encouraging,  and  we  make  Bold  to 
say  our  destiny  in  this  matter  can  be  best  reached  by  the 
merchant  and  the  manufacturer  accepting  the  situation,  and 
not  neglecting  its  opportunities." 

As  a  merchant  who  has  been  around  the  world  and  connected 
with  the  larger  trade  movements;  for  some  years  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  foreign  commerce  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  of  the  committee  on  railroad  transportation  of  the  National 
Board  of  Trade,  and  for  the  last  ten  years  president  of  the  United  States 
Export  Association,  I  have  had  to  study  these  great  politico-economic 
questions  as  a  college  professor  has  to  study  to  keep  ahead  of  his  class. 
It  has  been  a  study  of  absorbing  interest  to  me,  and  whatever  opinions 
I  may  have  formed  are  based  upon  this  experience. 

According  to  the  best  estimates  there  are  about  1450  millions  of 
people  on  this  globe,  of  which  890  millions  are  in  the  Orient,  distributed 
as  follows: 

Asia — 
Countries.  Population.        Area  Sq.  Miles. 

Ceylon    3,578,333  25,365 

China   426,047,000  4,277,170 

British   East  Indies    294,360,356  1,766,797 

Dutch  East  Indies 35,736,000  736,400 

French  East  Indies 18,508,000  256,096 

Hongkong    297,142  31 

Japan 46,304,999  147,655 

Formosa    3,082,404  13,458 

Korea    12,000,000  32,000 

Persia    9,500,000  628,000 

Russia,  Asiatic 22,697,469  6,564,778 

Siam    5,000,000  220,000 

Straits    Settlements    572,249  1,472 

Oceania — 

Philippine  Islands   7,635,426  115,020 

Commonwealth   of  Australia 3,776,273  2,972,906 

New  Zealand   772,719  104,471 

Mauritius     371,023  705 

Hawaiian  Islands   154,000  6,449 


Total  Asia  and  Oceania 890,393,393  17,918,797 

Of  these  perhaps  China  and  Japan  afford  the  largest  opportunities,, 
although  all  are  worth  cultivating. 

The  foreign  trade  of  China  during  the  calendar  year  1904  aggre- 
gated 585,000,000  haikwan  taels,  as  against  541,000,000  for  the  year  1903,. 
according  to  the  annual  publication  of  the  Chinese  customs  authorities,. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  5S 

just  received  by  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor  through  its 
Bureau  of  Statistics. 

China's  commerce  with  the  United  States  during  the  past  year  was- 
the  largest  on  record,  being  fifty-six  and  a  quarter  million  haikwan  taels,, 
as  compared  with  55,000,000  in  1902,  the  previous  high  record  of  trade 
with  the  United  States.  (The  value  of  a  haikwan  tael  is  about  70  cents.) 

The  annual  return  of  the  foreign  trade  of  the  Empire  of  Japan  iir 
the  year  1904,  issued  by  the  Department  of  Finance  of  that  government,, 
and  just  received  by  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor  through 
its  Bureau  of  Statistics,  presents  the  statistics  of  commerce  of  Japan 
during  the  past  year,  as  well  as  data  showing  the  proportion  of  its  trade 
with  each  of  the  principal  countries.  Japan  has  made  rapid  progress  in-, 
her  foreign  commerce  during  the  past  decade,  and  her  trade  with  the 
United  States  shows  an  especially  rapid  growth. 

The  imports  into  Japan  in  1904  were  the  largest  on  record,  being; 
$184,938,000  in  value,  as  against  $157,933,000  in  1903,  $143,056,000  in  1900,. 
and  $66,311,000  in  1895.  Exports  from  Japan  in  1904  also  established  a 
new  high  record,  being  $158^992,000  in,  value,  as  against  $144,172,000  last 
year,  $101,806,000  in  1900,  and  $69,825,000  in  1895.  Thus  the  imports  into- 
Japan  have  increased  by  $118,627,000  and  the  exports  from  Japan  by 
$89,167,000  since  1895. 

During  the  past  ten  years  Japan  has  imported  about  $200,000,000- 
more  than  she  has  exported,  the  excess  of  the  imports  over  the  exports 
averaging  about  $20,000,000  annually  during  that  period. 

An  examination  of  the  statistics  of  commerce  with  the  principal 
countries  shows  that  Japan  imports  most  largely  from  Great  Britain,. 
British  India,  the  United  States,  China  and  Germany,  these  five  countries 
supplying  about  77  per  cent  of  her  total  imports.  Of  the  total  imports 
into  Japan  in  1904,  amounting  to  $184,938,000,  the  United  Kingdom  sup- 
plied $37,346,000,  or  20.2  per  cent;  British  India  (including  Straits  Set- 
tlements), $35,228,000,  or  19  per  cent;  the  United  States,  $28,942,000,  or 
15.7  per  cent;  China,  $27,295,000,  or  14.8  per  cent.,  and  Germany,  $14,291,- 
000,  or  7.7  per  cent. 

Of  the  exports  from  Japan,  amounting  to  $158,992,000  in  1904,  the- 
principal  countries  of  destination  are  the  United  States,  $50,423,000; 
China,  $33,857,000;  France,  $18,087,000;  Hongkong,  $14,024,000;  Korea,. 
$10,154,000;  Great  Britain,  $8,787,000,  and  Italy,  $6,011,000,  these  seven 
countries  taking  about  nine-tenths  of  the  exports  from  Japan.  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  United  States  is  by  far  Japan's  best  customer,  ex- 
ports to  the  United  States  from  Japan  representing  about  one-third  of 
her  total  sales  to  foreign  countries.  Among  the  nations  exporting  goods 
to  Japan,  however,  the  United  States  occupies  a  lower  rank,  being  ex- 
ceeded in  that  respect  by  both  Great  Britain  and  British  India. 

In  this  connection  the  following  notable  article  from  the  "New- 
York  Journal  of  Commerce"  is  of  interest: 

"THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST  MARKET/' 

Under  the  above  title  the  editor  of  the  "Journal  of  Com- 
merce" points  out  the  commercial  possibilities  involved  in  the 
modernization  of  social  and  industrial  conditions  in  Asia.  In- 
cidentally he  gives  impressive  illustrations  of  the  ability  of 
highly  paid  intelligent  American  workmen,  operating  Ameri- 
can machinery,  to  produce  commodities  at  a  cost  that  makes  it 
possible  to  sell  them  at  a  satisfactory  profit  in  competition 
with  commodities  produced  by  less  well  paid  and  less  intelli- 
gent workmen  anywhere  in  the  world.  The  article  says:  "No 
one,  however,  in  reviewing  the  statements  given  of  the  growth 
of  our  foreign  trade  with  Oriental  and  European  countries,  will 


54  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

have  a  complete  conception  of  the  forces  that  give  direction  to 
the  commerce  of  the  world,  if  he  omits  to  give  due  considera- 
tion to  the  advantages  secured  through  the  unequaled  facilities 
and  low  rates  of  American  transportation  service.  The  power 
of  American  enterprise  to  achieve  the  commercial  conquest  of 
the  world  is  demonstrated  by  the  achievements  of  this  power  in 
supplying  transportation  facilities  by  means  of  which  com- 
merce is  made  possible.  The  mileage  of  the  railroads  of  the 
world  per  capita  of  population  served  is: 

United  States,  one  mile  for  every 400 

Europe,  one  mile  for  every 2,400 

Asia,  one  mile  for  every 28,000 

The  consuming  capacity  of  a  people  must  inevitably  grow  as  their 
earning  power  grows.  Power  to  buy  is  the  inducement  to  work,  the 
incentive  to  work  harder  or  more  intelligently  that  more  may  be  pro- 
duced or  earned.  As  the  power  to  buy  grows,  the  sale  of  commodi- 
ties increases.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  industrial  development  of  Japan. 

In  1878  the  foreign  commerce  of  Japan  was  about  60,000,000  yen. 
In  1898  it  was  440,000,000  yen..  The  growth  of  its  internal  industries, 
manufacturing  and  railroad  facilities  during  the  same  period  was  equally 
great. 

Our  exports  to  Japan  in  1881  aggregated  1,781,103  yen.  In  1898 
they  amounted  to  40,001,097  yen,  and  in  1903  they  exceeded  50,000,000 
yen.  (A  yen,  is  worth  about  50  cents  gold.) 

Our  share  of  the  total  import  trade  of  Japan  in  1881  was  5.72  per 
cent;  in  1898  it  was  14.7  per  cent,  and  in  1902  it  was  16.3  per  cent.  In 
twenty  years  our  exports  to  Japan  increased  thirty  times  and  our  share  of 
the  whole  import  trade  of  Japan  increased  three  times. 

In  the  light  of  these  facts  the  United  States  can  find  no  cause  for 
alarm  in  the  tremendous  industrial  development  that  is  certain  to  take 
place  in  Asia  when  the  "historical  cycle  of  war,  poverty,  peace,  pros- 
perity, pride,  war,"  again  enters  the  era  of  prosperity  that  must  succeed 
the  era  of  existing  war.  We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  competition 
with  the  industrial  forces  and  resources  of  Asia  or  Europe.  Our  intelli- 
gence will  enable  us  to  manage  our  labor  problems  in  a  way  to  keep  our 
workmen  fully  employed  and  to. find  a  market  for  our  products  in  Asia 
or  Europe  in  successful  competition  with  labor  and  transportation  condi- 
tions anywhere  throughout  the  world.  The  logic  of  events  clearly  indi- 
cates an  ever-growing  share  in  the  commerce  of  the  world  for  the 
American  people.  Every  gun  now  being  fired  in  the  Orient  aids  in 
opening  a  door  for  American  products. 

The  writer  of  the  foregoing  article  strikes  the  key-note  when  he 
gives  credit  to  our  transportation  service  for  the  enormous  expansion 
of  our  foreign  commerce.  Our  railroads  carry  our  products  to  the  sea- 
boad  at  less  than  half  the  rates  charged  by  those  of  other  countries. 
Time  was  when  it  was  thought  railroads  would  only  carry  the  lighter 
and  more  valuable  kinds  of  freaght,  but  now  not  only  are  our  cereals  and 
cattle  almost  exclusively  carried  by  rail,  and  largely  our  coal  and  ore, 
but  granite  paving  stones  from  Maine  are  transported  to  our  cities 
throughout  the  country,  and  the  lumber  and  shingles  of  Oregon  and 
Washington  are  carried  overland  to  New  England. 

This  result  has  been  attained  by  free  and  untrammeled  American 
railroad  management,  and  yet  there  are- some  short-sighted  and  narrow- 
gauged  men  who  advocate  putting  our  magnificent  railroad  system  into 
official  clamps  by  conferring  the  rate  making  power,  in  some  degree,  upon 
an  inexperienced  political  commission  of  five  men,  when  five  hundred 
skilled  traffic  managers,  who  have  devoted  their  lives  to  this  business, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  55^ 

cannot  suit  everybody.  We  should  think  twice  before  taking  such  a: 
step.  It  would  probably  result  in  rates  based  on  mileage,  and  this  would' 
seriously  curtail  all  long  distance  and  export  business.  The  same  per- 
sons who  would  thus  cripple  our  railroads  are  enthusiastic  advocates  of 
water  transportation,  forgetting  that  railroads  are  the  great  collectors  of 
traffic  for  our  water  lines  and  that  each  supplements  and  helps  the  other. 
Many  persons  have  great  expectations  of  commercial  benefits  from 
the  Panama  Canal,  but  they  will  probably  be  disappointed,  for^  while  it 
may  prove  to  be  a  useful  link  in  the  world's  chain  of  commerce,  it  will  be 
of  but  little  benefit  to  the  United  States,  at  least  until  we  get  an  American 
merchant  marine  to  use  it.  The  lack  of  this  is  one  of  the  short-sighted 
things  in  American  policy.  Every  ship  is  a  missionary  of  trade,  and  steam- 
ship lines  work  for  their  own  countries  just  as  railroad  lines  work  for 
their  terminal  points.  Department  stores  don't  hire  competitors'  wagons 
to  make  their  deliveries.  An  American  merchant  marine  would  be  a  re- 
cruiting ground  for  an  American  navy — an  auxiliary  navy — nearly  self- 
sustaining  in  time  of  peace  and  a  militia  of  the  sea  in  time  of  war;  and 
yet  some  good  people  shy  at  the  word  "subsidy"  just  as  some  good 
horses  shy  at  an  umbrella.  Ten  per  cent  of  the  amount  we  spend  an- 
nually on  our  navy,  spent  in  building  up  an  American  merchant  marine 
would  be  the  best  investment  the  United  States  could  make.  It  would  put 
our  flag  and  our  goods  into  every  port  in  the  world,  and  for  a  country 
with  the  greatest  sea  coast  of  any  nation  except  Great  Britain;  a  nation 
of  maritime  instincts  and  an  unbroken  record  of  skill  and  intrepidity  on 
the  ocean,  from  Paul  Jones  to  George  Dewey,  it  is  a  national  disgrace 
that  our  merchant  marine  should  have  been  allowed  to  decline  from 
carrying  90  per  cent  of  our  exported  products  down  to  9  per  cent,  and 
leave  us  paying  foreign  ships  two  hundred  millions  of  dollars  annually 
to  carry  our  goods  to  the  markets  of  the  world. 

WHAT  WE  NEED. 

To  develop  our  great  resources  in  fields,  forests,  mines  and  factories,, 
give  remunerative  employment  to  labor  and  capital  and  prosperity  to 
all  the  people  of  the  United  States, ^we  need: 

First — To  foster  our  transportation  system  both  on  sea  and  land.  Help 
it,  don't  cripple  it. 

Second— We  need  to  appreciate  that  this  is  the  age  of  steam,  electricity, 
tricity,  machinery  and  organization,  and  that  untrammeled  American  in- 
dividualism controlling  these  forces  will  produce  better  results  than  offi- 
cialism, socialism  and  communism.  Yellow  journalism  is  daily,  weekly 
and  monthly  teaching  the  contrary.  Don't  shy  at  "trusts,"  whether  of 
labor  or  capital.  They  represent  "organization."  Control  but  don't 
cripple  them.  We  are  dependent  upon  them  for  progress. 

Third— Our  foreign  policy  should  favor  "the  open  door,"  and  to  get 
this  we  should  make  reasonable  concessions  in  our  tariff  policy,  through 
reciprocity  or  otherwise. 

Fourth — As  minor  means  to  this  end  systematize  our  consular  service  on 
a  basis  of  permanency,  promotion  and  adequate  compensation.  We 
have  superior  talent  in  our  consular  service  as  a  whole,  but  it  is  dwarfed 
and  discouraged  by  the  lack  of  these  prime  requisites. 

Fifth — Revise  our  treaties  with  Oriental  countries  so  that  while  pro- 
tecting American  labor  against  "the  yellow  peril"  it  will  give  both  Ameri- 
can labor  and  American  capital  "the  yellow  opportunity"  to  supply  890,- 
000,000  of  Asiatics  with  what  they  want  to  buy  and  what  we  want  to 
sell.  In  other  words,  don't  let  the  unreasoning  fears  of  American  trades 
unionism  insult  the  educated  Asiatics  who  come  to  trade  with  us  or  to 
study  with  us,  even  if  a  few  "coolies"  do  get  in  under  false  pretenses.  I 
believe  in  the  dignity  of  peaceful  American  labor  and  that  American 


56  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

capital  should  assist  in  maintaining  it,  but  I  also  believe  that  "yellow 
journalism,"  which  seeks  to  play  upon  the  prejudices  and  fears  of  organ- 
ized labor  is  a  greater  peril  than  either  eastern  or  western  immigration. 

In  the  World's  Work  for  August  Mr.  Hill  has  about  a  page  and  a 
half  of  matter  in  which  there  are  more  concrete  facts  stated  than  in  any 
similar  number  of  words  I  have  seen,  and  I  will  ask  your  indulgence  for 
about  two  minutes  while  I  read  it.  It  is  as  follows: 

"THE  FUTURE  OF  OUR  ORIENTAL  TRADE,  BY  JAMES  J.  HILL,  PRESIDENT  OF  THE 
GREAT   NORTHERN   RAILWAY. 

"The  future  of  the  trade  across  the  Pacific  depends  almost  entirely 
upon  the  assistance  given  to  it  by  the  government  and  the  people.  We 
have  gone  as  far  as  we  dare  go  under  the  present  conditions.  I  shall 
not  build  more  ships  for  the  Oriental  trade  until  I  know  that  the  present 
ships  are  a  success,  and  until  I  know  that  this  business  will  be  helped 
and  not  hindered  by  the  United  States  Government  and  people.  Up  to 
a  little  time  ago  we  were  carrying  thousands  of  tons  of  Minneapolis 
flour  to  Seattle  for  shipment  to  South  Africa  and  Australia.  They  told  us 
we  had  to  publish  our  ocean  rates.  That  would  mean  giving  every  foreign 
tramp  steamer  a  chance  to  cut  below  them — and  we  had  to  give  three 
or  ten  days'  notice  before  we  could  change  them.  This  compelled  us  to 
withdraw  that  rate,  and  we  are  now  carrying  none  of  that  flour  to  those 
countries. 

"This  whole  Oriental  trade  is  a  matter  of  evolution.  Ten  years  ago 
it  was  very  small.  What  came  across  the  Pacific  came  mostly  through 
San  Francisco  and  Vancouver.  In  1893  the  Great  Northern  Railway  had 
just  reached  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  found  there  nearly  400,000,000,000  feet 
of  standing  timber — the  best  in  the  world.  It  had  no  domestic  market. 
To  bring  it  to  the  eastern  markets  where  it  could  be  sold  they  had  to 
pay  90  cents  per  100  pounds.  That  rate  was  prohibitive.  The  question 
was  how  to  make  a  rate  low  enough  to  bring  this  lumber  east. 

"We  could  not  afford  to  haul  empty  cars  west  to  carry  lumber  east. 
It  costs,  roughly,  $125  to  haul  a  car  2,000  miles  across  the  continent.  At 
that  time  our  freight  west-bound  was  heavier  than  east-bound,  and  we 
had  empty  cars  coming  east,  I  met  the  lumbermen  of  the  Pacific  North- 
west. They  told  me  they  could  pay  65  cents  per  100  pounds  on  the  lum- 
ber. I  did  not  think  they  could  pay  more  than  50  cents.  I  offered  them 
a  40-cent  rate  on  fir  and  50  cents  on  cedar,  and  those  rates  went  into 
effect.  The  result  was  that  the  demand  for  this  lumber  grew  until  we 
had  more  cars  of  lumber  to  carry  east  than  we  had  full  cars  going  west. 

"To  make  them  equal  again  we  had  to  look  for  more  tonnage  from 
the  east.  We  took  cotton  from  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley,  Alabama 
and  Texas  and  carried  it  3,000  miles  to  ship  from  Seattle.  More  and  more 
we  got  manufactures  and  other  material  from  the  east,  going  to  the 
Orient.  In  1896  the  Japanese  Steamship  Company  made  a  contract  with 
us  and  put  on  regular  steamers.  We  had  previously  sent  men  to  Japan 
and  China  to  study  the  trade — to  find  out  just  what  they  could  use  of 
our  productions,  and  what  they  would  give  us  of  theirs.  That  was  the 
beginning  of  this  Oriental  trade.  It  came  out  of  this  effort  to  make  the 
east-bound  and  the  west-bound  trade  nearly  equal,  so  we  should  not 
have  to  haul  empty  cars  either  way.  The  Japanese  gave  us  a  chance  to 
ship  them  cotton  and  rails,  we  offering  to  pay  any  losses  on  the  experi- 
ment. There  were  no  losses.  That  business  has  constantly  increased. 

"Now,  this  country  cannot  export  very  many  things  to  the  Orient. 
A  people  like  the  Japanese,  who  only  earn  a  few  cents  a  day,  cannot  pay 
for  many  luxuries.  They  have  to  get  their  food  and  clothing  cheap.  Be- 
cause this  country  produces  cotton,  grain,  iron  ore  and  coal  cheaper  than 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  57 

any  other,  there  are  some  things  that  this  country  can  lay  down  in 
Japan  and  China  cheaper  than  any  other  country  can  lay  them  down. 
We  can  get  the  trade  in  these  things;  but  in  manufactured  goods  of 
most  classes  we  are  beaten  by  the  Germans  and  the  Belgians.  Labor  is 
too  expensive  in  this  country.  You  cannot  pay  our  prices  for  labor  and 
make  many  goods  to  sell  to  people  who  only  get  from  ten  to  twenty-five 
cents  a  day  for  their  work. 

"What  we  must  do  is  to  make  the  most  of  what  we  have.  There 
should  be  no  restrictions  on  our  carrying  grain,  cotton,  steel,  machinery, 
etc.,  to  the  Orient.  We  must  give  the  Japanese  and  the  Chinese  wheat 
flour  so  cheap  that  they  will  use  it  instead  of  rice.  We  cannot  do  that 
so  long  as  we  have  not  a  free  hand.  You  must  cut  your  profits  to  the 
very  edge  to  make  it  possible.  We  cannot  do  that  so  long  as  we  are 
constantly  interfered  with.  Nor  can  we  do  it  while  the  law  compels  us 
to  tell  every  tramp  steamer  captain  just'  what  our  rates  are. 

"When  I  went  to  the  state  of  Washington  you  could  not  give  away 
the  cedar  logs.  They  used  to  let  them  run  out  into  the  sea  to  get  rid  of 
them.  Because  we  made  rates  that  made  them  valuable,  the  price  has 
gone  up  about  an  average  of  $12  to  $15*  per  1,000  feet.  On  the  400,000,000,- 
000  feet  of  timber  in  the  territory  the  advance  in  value  is  about  $600,- 
000,000.  Low  rates  have  added  that  amount  to  the  taxable  wealth  of 
those  states.  Every  year  we  have  put  millions  of  dollars  into  the  mar- 
kets of  that  country  which  could  not  otherwise  have  been  put  in  circu- 
lation. 

"Take  the  single  item  of  cotton.  In  1901  we  carried  to  Puget  Sound 
13,070  bales  of  cotton  piece  goods  and  13,230,000  pounds  of  raw  cotton. 
In  one  year  these  figures  increased  to  64,542  bales  of  piece  goods  and 
41,230,000  pounds  of  raw  cotton.  Outside  of  cotton — in  nails,  wire,  ma- 
chinery and  other  things  of  that  sort — we  also  built  up  a  good  business. 
We  had  to  do  it  by  making  rates  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  case.  It 
was  to  keep  those  rates  low  that  I  wanted  the  Minnesota  and  the  Da- 
kota— big  ships  of  28,000  tons.  Somebody  had  to  build  ships  of  that 
class.  To  make  them  economical  they  must  carry  large  cargoes,  so  we 
have  to  make  the  tonnage  to  fill  them.  Most  of  the  other  ships  on  the 
Pacific  are  from  2,500  to  7,000  tons.  I  think  the  largest  Canadian-Pacific 
ships  are  6,000  tons. 

"You  must  realize  that  in  this  Oriental  business  we  are  not  com- 
peting against  the  other  railroads  alone.  On  local  business  to  the  coast — 
to  Seattle,  Portland,  San  Francisco,  Vaucouver — we  do  compete  with 
them.  But  upon  freight  from  New  York  to  Japan  or  China  by  rail  and 
water  we  are  competing  with  the  all-water  route  from  New  York  to  the 
Orient  around  the  Cape  and  via  the  Suez  Canal,  and  with  European  com- 
merce by  sea.  We  have  to  make  rates  to  hold  the  business  against  these 
routes.  We  must  meet  the  English  and  other  tramp  steamers.  No  one 
regulates  these  tramps.  Moreover,  to  lay  down  American  goods  in  Hong- 
kong you  have  to  make  them  as  cheap  as  German  goods,  Belgian  goods 
or  English  goods.  These  countries  are  nearer  the  market,  and  they  have 
no  long  haul  by  rail.  They  do  not  have  to  haul  their  freight  across  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

"The  future  of  this  business  remains  to  some  extent  a  matter  of 
conjecture.  If  all  the  railroad  forces,  the  people,  the  government  and 
the  laws  unite  to  help  this  traffic,  Puget  Sound  will  be  the  great  seaport  of 
the  Pacific.  It  will  be  the  clearing  point  for  the  biggest  volume  of  the 
tonnage  going  to  the  Orient  and  coming  from  it.  Presuming  that  Japan 
will  come  to  be  a  great  commercial  nation,  American  trade  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean  should  soon  rival  that  of  the  Atlantic."  (Applause.) 


58  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

MR.  PRINCE:  Mr.  President,  it  is  now  Thursday  noon.  We 
have  to  adjourn  by  Saturday  midnight  at  the  very  latest.  We  have 
had  some  admirable  papers,  but  we  have  not  yet  entered  upon  the 
business  of  the  Congress  itself.  The  Committee  on  Resolutions 
ought  to  report  tomorrow  afternoon  in  order  that  there  shall  be 
time  for  the  consideration  of  the  matters  that  come  before  it.  I 
move  that  we  now  receive  resojutions  to  be  referred  to  the  Committee 
on  Resolutions. 

The  motion  was  secondecj. 

JUDGE  RAKER  (California)  :  I  understand  each  of  the  state 
delegations  has  a  committee  on  resolutions  which  has  met  and  tried 
to  harmonize  upon  the  resolutions,  and  that  such  resolutions  may 
be  introduced  to  the  general  Congress  tomorrow ;  but  to  attempt 
to  introduce  resolutions  now  will,  I  think,  make  supreme  confusion. 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  The  first  thing  to  be  done  before  the  dis- 
cussion goes  further  is  to  announce  the  Committee  on  Resolutions 
which  has  been  adopted  by  this  convention. 

The  Secretary  thereupon  read  the  names  of  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE  :  Mr.  President,  in  support  of  my  motion  that 
we  now  receive  resolutions,  I  would  say  it  has  always  been  the  cus- 
tom to  receive  them  from  the  beginning  of  the  convention.  The 
committee  has  ordinarily  been  appointed  at  an  earlier  time  than  this, 
which  is  really  the  end  of  the  second  day's  session,  because  we  have 
no  session  this  afternoon.  The  only  time  the  committee  will  have 
for  their  consideration  will  be  this  afternoon  and  tonight,  because 
any  one  can  see  that  we  must  meet  tomorrow  afternoon  or  Saturday 
afternoon  in  order  to  have  any  business  of  the  Congress  done  at  all. 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  The  motion  now  is  to  receive  resolutions  to 
be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Resolutions.  They  are  not  subject 
to  discussion,  but  if  gentlemen  wish  to  present  them  instead  of 
sending  them  directly,  and  read  them,  they  will  be  received.  That 
is  the  motion  before  the  house. 

The  motion  was  put  to  a  vote  and  carried. 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  Gentlemen  of  the  convention,  you  have 
passed  a  resolution  that  resolutions  be  received  and  referred  to  the 
Committee  on  Resolutions.  All  there  is  to  do  now  is  to  receive 
resolutions  immediately,  or  at  such  time  as  you  shall  proceed  to  put 
them  in.  We  must  proceed  with  our  business.  There  are  two 
other  gentlemen  here  who  are  to  read  papers,  and  we  can  not  stop 
the  session  in  order  to  have  resolutions  prepared.  If  you  have 
your  resolutions  ready,  they  will  be  in  order. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  59 

JUDGE  RAKER  :  I  move  that  no  resolutions  be  presented  at  this 
time,  but  that  they  all  be  presented  to  the  proper  committee  this 
afternoon  and  tomorrow  as  they  may  be  presented. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE:  I  arise  to  a  point  of  order.  Two  resolu- 
tions are  ready  to  present  in  open  session.  The  introducer,  if  he 
chooses,  can  explain  the  object  of  his  resolution  for  three  minutes, 
and,  without  debate,  it  then  goes  to  the  committee. 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  There  are  a  number  of  resolutions  being  sent 
in  order.  Are  there  any  resolutions  now  to  be  presented? 

THE  SECRETARY:     I  have  some  resolutions. 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  There  are  a  number  of  resolutions  being  sent 
up  which  will  go  to  the  committee,  but  it  is  the  privilege  of  gentle- 
men to  read  them  if  they  desire;  if  not,  we  will  go  on  with  what 
we  have. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE:  I  have  two  resolutions;  one  on  a  depart- 
ment of  mines,  which  I  will  read;  and  one  for  statehood  for  New 
Mexico,  which  I  will  also  read. 

The  resolutions  were  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Resolutions, 
and  are  as  follows : 

DEPARTMENT   OF  MINES! 

Resolved,  That  the  mining  industry  of  the  United  States  has  grown  to 
such  proportions  and  importance,  and  is  capable  of  such  vast  extension 
if  fostered  by  the  government  as  is  the  agricultural  industry;  that  we 
heartily  favor  the  establishment  by  act  of  Congress  of  a  national  depart- 
ment of  Mines  and  Mining,  whose  head  shall  be  a  Cabinet  officer. 

STATEHOOD    FOR   NEW   MEXICO. 

Whereas,  The  fundamental  principle  of  American  republicanism 
is  that  of  self-government,  and  no  body  of  American  citizens  should  be 
deprived  of  that  right  when  it  is  possible  to  exercise  it;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  the  people  of  New  Mexico  should  no  longer  be  de- 
prived of  self-government;  and  that  territory  should  be  admitted  as  a 
state  without  delay. 

MR.  VAN  LOBEN  SELS:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  desire  to  offer  the 
following  resolution  on  rivers  and  harbors : 

APPROPRIATIONS  FOR  CALIFORNIA. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  the  sixteenth  Trans -Mississippi  Com- 
mercial Congress  that  the  Secretary  of  War  be  urged  in  the  most  urgent 
manner  to  make  the  necessary  appropriations  to  improve  immediately: 

First — The  Sacramento  River  and  tributaries,  and  San  Joaquin  River, 
both  for  navigation  and  for  affording  drainage;  and 

Second — To  continue  the  work  of  improving  of:  (a)  The  harbor  of 
Oakland;  (c)  the  harbor  of  San  Pedro. 

P.  J.  VAN  LOBEN  SELS, 
J.  C.  HIZAR. 


60  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  It  will  be.  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions. 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  We  will  now  listen  to  an  address  by  Mr. 
George  W.  Dickie  of  San  Francisco  on  the  "Merchant  Marine." 

MR.  DICKIE: 

ADDRESS   OF  MR.   GEO.  W.   DICKIE. 

Mi.  President,  Members  and  Delegates  of  the  Trans -Mississippi  Com- 
9>ic>-cial  Congress — When  I  was  coming  up  from  San  Francisco  to  Portland, 
I  flattered  myself  that  I  was  going  to  be  one  of  the  big  guns  of  this 
Congress,  and  I  kept  up  that  delusion  until  I  got  in  Portland.  Getting  the 
morning  issue  of  your  great  newspaper,  I  found  that  the  subject  I  was 
.gpimg  to  present  to  you  was  "of  no  importance";  that  the  sooner  it  was 
given  up  and  no  longer  formed  any  part  of  the  deliberations  of  pur  Cnn- 
.gress  the  better.  That  was  very  discouraging  indeed  and  indicated  to 
me  that  a  good  deal  of  education  was  still  wanted  on  a  very  important 
subject.  Some  thirty-five  years  ago  down  in  San  Francisco  they  were 
holding  an  industrial  exposition.  I  was  younger  then  and  somewhat 
more  innocent  than  I  am  now,  and  I  set  to  work  to  prepare  for  that 
exhibition  a  plan  of  a  vessel  suited  for  the  Australian  trade.  I  spent  a 
great  deal  of  time  on  those  plans,  painted  them  up  very  attractively  and 
sent  them  to  the  exhibition.  The  committee  on  arrangements  studied 
them  very  carefully  anid  decided  that  the  proper  place  to  put  them  was 
among  the  Japanese  curiosities.  (Laughter.)  There  was  another  Japa- 
nese curiosity  which  they  put  right  above  the  central  picture  I  had  sent 
in,  and  that  was  a  bust  of  Beethoven.  Going  through  the  exhibition  one 
evening  I  came  up  behind  two  ladies  who  were  looking  at^  this  thing  I 
had  sent  in.  They  thought  it  was  Japanese  embroidery,  and  they  were 
commenting  on  the  skill  of  the  Japanese  in  that  sort  of  thing.  One  said 
to  the  other:  "Yes,  it  is  very  pretty,  indeed,  and  I  suppose  that  is  the 
bust  of  the  man  that  made  it."  (Laughter  and  applause.)  They  needed 
some  education  on  the  shipping  question. 

Some  eight  years  ago,  walking  on  the  quarter  deck  of  a  British  war- 
ship in  company  with  three  Cabinet  officers  of  the  government  of  Japan, 
the  Minister  of  Commerce  made  a  statement  that  I  have  thought  about  a 
good  deal  since.  He  said:  "Mr.  Dickie,  do  you  know  that  it  is  the 
ambition  of  the  Japanese  people  to  make  Japan  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  what 
Great  Britain  is  to  the  Atlantic?  We  are  going  to  do  it,  and  perhaps 
sooner  than  you  people  think."  Looking  over  to  two  vessels  not  far 
away,  an  armored  cruiser  and  a  second  class  cruiser  belonging  to  Russia, 
he  also  remarked,  that  it  might  be  necessary  for  them  to  dispose  of 
that  kind  of  vessel  before  they  accomplished  it.  Just  think  of  that  today! 

Two  years  ago,  in  1902,  out  of  total  entry  of  23,000,000  of  foreign 
shipments  into  the  ports  of  Japan,  57i  per  cent  of  that  shipping  was 
under  the  Japanese  flag.  At  the  time  that  my  friend  made  the  state- 
ment I  have  quoted,  there  was  less  than  2  per  cent.  This  shows  what 
the  Japanese,  poor  as  they  are,  have  been  able  to  accomplish  in  the  way 
of  bringing  about  for  themselves  a  position  in  the  commerce  that  is 
carried  on  the  ocean.  With  these  introductory  remarks,  I  will  read  my 
paper: 

Before  a  Congress  representing  the  commercial  interests  of  the 
western  half  of  the  United  States  and  standing  on  the  western  edge  of 
this  great  country  facing  the  Pacific  Ocean,  destined  to  be  the  stage  on 
which  will  be  enacted  the  great  commercial  development  of  the  future, 
the  subject  I  have  been  requested  to  present  to  you  needs  no  apology 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  61 

for  its  introduction.  In  the  official  call  for  this  Congress,  the  subject  of 
this  paper  is  No.  4,  to  which  has  been  added  No.  15,  "The  necessity  of 
differentials  favoring  Pacific  Coast  ports  in  the  building  of  naval  ves- 
sels." So  I  am  here  with  these  subjects,  which,  in  order  to  understand 
some'  things  that  to  many  people  are  obscure,  I  have  put  in  the  form  of 
a  question,  "Is  naval  power,  both  commercial  and  military,  necessary  to 
the  future  development  of  the  United  States?"  For  the  last  twenty-five 
years  or  so  I  have  from  time  to  time,  by  speech  when  I  found  any  one 
willing  to  listen  and  by  papers  as  far  as  I  could  find  readers  for  them, 
endeavored  to  awake  a  sentiment  in  this  country  in  regard  to  ocean 
borne  commerce  and  its  necessity  to  the  future  prosperity  of  this  great 
nation.  To  arouse  a  sentiment  in  this  country  that  would  result  in  practi- 
cal measures  for  the  revival  of  its  merchant  marine  has  been  a  difficult 
task  and  has  tired  out  many  vigorous  advocates  of  the  needs  of  our  ship- 
ping, even  events  that  when  they  were  happening  were  expected  to 
produce  great  results  have  not,  as  yet,  had  the  desired  effect;  to  illustrate 
this  let  me  quote  from  an  address,  delivered  by  me  before  a  body  of 
commercial  men  in  the  early  part  of  1899,  showing  what  I  had  expected 
from  the  events  then  taking  place:  "In  studying  important  naval  events 
in  which  this  country  has  played  the  leading  part  and  which  will  make 
this  period  figure  Largely  in  naval  history,  a  great  fact  has  impressed 
itself  on  my  mind,  a  fact  that,  if  I  understand  the  meaning  of  these 
events  that  have  been  following  each  other  in  rapid  succession  during 
the  last  few  months,  is  going  to  make  a  mighty  and  lasting  impression 
on  the  immediate  future  history  of  this  country,  and  this  fact  is  that 
the  sentiment  of  this  country  relative  to  the  necessity  of  being  a  great 
naval  power  has  undergone  a  marked  change  in  the  last  few  months,  and 
that  sentiment  will  assert  itself  in  the  councils  of  the  nation  with  a  force 
that  will  demand  recognition.  Who  would  have  ventured  to  predict  the 
sequence  of  events  which  have  followed  so  close  on  the  heels  of  that 
declaration,  the  object  of  which  was  to  force  Spain  to  free  Cuba,  and  to 
accomplish  this  the  President  of  the  country  was  empowered  to  use 
the  full  force  of  the  army  and  navy  to  compel  the  Spanish  to  vacate  that 
island?  Troops  were  moved  from  the  west  to  the  east  to  help  in  the 
invasion  of  Cuba.  The  battleship  Oregon  (applause)  that  we  had  just 
built  to  guard  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  only  battleship  that  we  had  on  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  was  ordered  to  the  Atlantic  Coast,  not  in  the  leisurely 
way  in  which  battleships  reach  distant  stations,  but  with  few  stops  and 
the  best  economical  speed  she  could  make.  Other  battleships  under  the 
same  necessity  might  have  accomplished  all  that  the  Oregon  has.  done, 
but  the  fact  remains  that  up  to  this  date  (1899)  the  voyage  of  the  Oregon 
stands  alone  at  the  head  of  ocean  voyages  made  by  battleships.  (Great 
.applause.) 

This  movement  of  troops  and  our  battleship  from  this  coast  to  the 
Atlantic  was  the  first  national  move  in  the  events  of  the  war.  While 
these  orders  were  being  carried  out,  who  could  have  foreseen  that  the 
small  Asiatic  arm  of  our  new  navy  should  have  struck  such  a  blow  to 
the  Spanish  power  in  Manila  as  to  force  a  rearrangement  of  all  the  plans 
of  this  war  and  render  necessary  a  large  military  expedition  to  the  other 
side  of  the  world.  This  is  somewhat  different  from  ferrying  troops  to 
Cuba,  and  at  once  shows  our  weakness  in  a  merchant  marine.  This  ex- 
perience is  to  be  the  grand  lesson  of  this  war,  and  in  the  matter  of 
ocean  commerce  the  lesson  will  bring  forth  fruit  in  the  near  future. 
Then  the  gathering  of  many  thousands  of  our  young  men  from  the  mid- 
dle states  where  the  sea  and  all  its  interests  had  no  part  in  their  daily 
life,  and  far  less  in  their  ideas  of  their  country's  place  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  transporting  them  to  the  Pacific  shore,  there  to  board 
transport  ships  for  the  long  ocean  voyage  to  Manila,  is  to  be  an  educa- 
tion to  these  men,  taken  as  they  are  from  every  walk  of  life,  that  will 


62  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

bring  the  sea  home  to  those  states  with  such  a  power  as  will  forever 
dispel  the  apathy  that  has  prevailed  in  the  heart  of  this  country  for  the 
last  twenty  years  in  regard  to  all  matters  affecting  the  ocean  commerce 
of  this  great  nation." 

These  hopes  expressed  seven  years  ago  have  not  as  yet  been' real- 
ized, though  much  work  has  been  done  by  those  who  have  the  interests 
of  our  foreign  commerce  at  heart,  yet  the  outlook  is  not  very  bright. 
Hon.  Chas.  H.  Grosvenor,  chairman  of  the  congressional  committee  on 
the  merchant  marine,  on  June  1st,  writing  to  those  who  had  been  active 
in  the  work,  says:  "In  the  opinion  of  the  best  judges  of  these  events, 
unless  something  is  done  by  the  next  Congress  at  least,  the  hope  of 
American  shipping  interests  may  as  well  be  abandoned.  If,  with  all  the 
present  information  we  have,  Congress  and  the  President  will  continue 
to  ignore  the  just  measures  which  have  been  introduced  and  promoted 
by  the  friends  of  the  American  merchant  marine,  we  may  as  well  abandon 
all  future  contests  and  make  the  best  terms  we  can  with  foreign  ship- 
ping." This  shows  how  tired  those  laboring  in  the  cause  of  our  mer- 
chant marine  have  become  and  how  much  they  need  that  the  growing 
sentiment  through  the  country  in  favor  of  a  revival  of  our  foreign 
shipping  should  be  exerted  with  such  force  that  Congress  will  not  be 
able  longer  to  withstand  the  demand  for  action. 

It  is  self  evident  that  to  any  country  like  this,  having  an  immense 
seaboard  on  the  two  great  oceans  of  the  world,  great  power,  both  naval 
and  commercial,  is  a  very  desirable  thing,  yet  the  history  and  progress 
of  this  country  shows  that  at  certain  stages  in  the  development  of  such 
a  country  it  is  not  a  prime  necessity. 

In  the  earlier  history  of  this  country,  with  the  bulk  of  its  population 
centered  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  dependent  on  an  interchange  of 
products  with  the  mother  country  and  her  colonies,  the  energies  and 
accumulated  wealth  of  the  people  naturally  turned  to  the  sea.  Behind 
them  were  great  forests  of  magnificent  material  with  which  to  build  ships 
and  in  front  of  them  the  ocean  highway  to  all  countries.  With  such 
opportunities  this  young  and  vigorous  country,  in  the  early  part  of  last 
century,  found  an  extensive  mercantile  navy  an  absolute  necessity  to  its 
development  and  growth  in  power. 

The  destruction  of  a  portion  of  the  shipping  of  this  country  during 
the  civil  war  is  often  given  as  a  reason  for  the  rapid  decline  of  the 
country's  foreign  shipping  trade.  It  is  quite  natural  to  come  to  such  a 
conclusion  because  the  civil  war  happened  at  the  same  time  as  this 
decline  of  American  shipping,  but  its  absurdity  becomes  apparent  as 
soon  as  we  think  about  it.  All  other  properties  destroyed  during  the 
war  that  were  needed  for  the  future  progress  of  the  country  were 
replaced  in  better  form  than  that  destroyed.  If  a  city  like  Chicago  is 
destroyed  by  fire  and  the  country  needs  a  city  in  that  place,  it  is  restored, 
grander  and  better  fitted  for  all  purposes  than  that  which  was  burned. 
It  is  so  with  every  product  of  man's  labor,  so  long  as  the  thing  is 
needed  and  the  man's  ability  to  produce  it  is  not  destroyed,  anything 
that  destroys  or  takes  away  the  tools  he  works  with  is  an  incentive  for 
him  to  devise  and  produce  better  tools. 

That  the  shipping  interests  of  the  United  States  did  not  recover 
from  the  injuries  received  during  the  civil  war,  but  kept  on  steadily 
declining,  is  in  itself  an  indicaton  that  a  mercantile  navy  was  not  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  the  prosperity  and  development  of  this  country. 
Other  causes  operating  at  the  same  time  and  in  conjunction  with  the 
destruction  of  these  properties  became  powerful  factors  in  preventing  a 
prompt  restoration  of  all  ships  destroyed. 

One  of  these  was  the  change,  then  taking  place,  in  the  material  for 
the  building  of  ships.  The  native  oak  of  Old  England  that  had  enabled 
her  flag  to  "brave  a  thousand  years,  the  battle  and  the  breeze,"  was 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  63 

"becoming  a  very  scarce  article,  and  ships  being  an  absolute  necessity  to 
her  power  and  position  among  the  nations,  a  new  material  must  be 
iound  out  of  which  to  build  ships. 

This  new  material,  iron,  had  been  gradually  gaining  the  confidence 
of  those  "who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  and  do  business  in  the  great 
-waters,"  and  while  privateers  were  burning  the  best  wooden  ships  that 
carried  the  stars  and  stripes,  the  British  shipyards  were  learning  the 
most  economical  methods  whereby  iron  plates  and  bars  could  be  put  into 
ship  shape  to  carry  freight,  and  not  only  equal  the  wooden  walls  in 
strength  and  power  to  carry,  but  to  far  excel  the  best  the  shipbuilder's 
•art  could  do  in  wood. 

In  this  new  material  Great  Britain  saw  her  opportunity  to  not  only 
maintain  her  position  on  the  sea,  but  to  extend  it  to  a  magnitude  that 
has  become  one  of  the  wonders  of  this  age. 

The  American  shipbuilder  and  ship  owner  could  see  all  this  going 
on,  and  no  doubt  understand  how  it  would  end,  but  to  his  country  ship- 
building and  ship  owning  were  not  a  national  necessity  in  the  same 
sense  as  it  was  to  Britain.  The  necessity  was  a  personal  one  and  not 
national  on  the  American  side,  while  the  position  of  Great  Britain 
among  the  nations  depends  upon  her  naval  supremacy.  Hence  the 
British  shipbuilder  had  only  to  learn  his  business  of  building  good  ships 
and  the  government  would  see  that  the  ship  owner  did  not  lack  encour- 
agement to  use  them. 

Then  the  Yankee  loved  to  whittle  wood — it  was  his  nature  to  do 
so — and  the  ships  he  whittled  out  of  his  forests  were  the  best  expression 
-of  the  art  of  wooden  shipbuilding  the  world  had  ever  seen,  but  the  men 
that  deftly  hewed  the  timbers  of  the  sailing  clippers  that  graced  the 
middle  of  last  century,  were  not  the  kind  of  men  to  take  kindly  to  bend- 
ing angle  bars  and  riveting  plates  and,  while  it  broke  their  hearts  to  see 
the  glory  of  the  old  craft  depart  leaving  only  a  tradition  of  what  could 
once  be  done  in  wood,  their  country,  for  so  it  thought,  could  get  along 
without  making  any  special  effort  to  hold  the  commerce  of  the  sea,  for 
to  do  so  involved  the  mastery  of  a  new  science,  the  creation  of  a  new 
<:raft  and  working  with  new  material.  This  kind  of  revolution  comes 
only  through  a  nation's  necessity,  and,  just  at  the  time  all  this  occurred, 
there  was  a  greater  necessity  confronting  the  people  needing  all  the 
wealth  and  energy  of  the  country  to  accomplish.  So  the  men  who  could 
Tiandle  great  enterprises  were  driven  from  the  sea  to  make  great  high- 
ways for  commerce  oni  land.  There  was  a  continent  to  open  up  stretching 
irom  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  that  for  the  United 
States  at  that  time  was  a  greater  necessity  than  learning  to  build  ships 
in  iron  and  steel. 

So  the  generation  now  active  in  the  affairs  of  this  great  country 
is  purely  and  solely  a  railroad  generation);  that  is  to  say,  the  leaders  in 
enterprise  among  our  business  people,  as  a  rule,  whether  in  finance  or 
'Commerce,  have  been  trained  to  regard  the  development  of  railways  as 
the  one  great  and  all-absorbing  field  of  enterprise  in  this  country.  All 
other  necessities  for  the  best  development  of  the  country  have  been 
made  subordinate  to  this. 

Perhaps  at  no  time  in  the  history  of  the  development  of  any  country 
lias  one  generation  absorbed  and  brought  under  the  power  of  civilization 
such  a  vast  territory  as  has  the  present  generation  in  the  United  States. 

While  this  vast  work  was  beimg  accomplished,  ocean  commerce 
appeared  to  the  men  spending  hundreds  of  millions  of  borrowed  money 
on  railroads  as  a  very  small  thing,  and  hardly  worth  while  bothering 
about,  and  the  government  thought  so,  too;  with  Europe  sending  its 
hoarded  wealth  to  us  to  build  railroads,  not  in  exchange  for  products 
sent  to  them  in  ships  that  we  had  built,  but  for  a  promise  that  the  next 


64  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

generation  would  pay  it  all  back,  or  if  not,  they  might  come  over  and 
take  the  railroads. 

To  men  who  could  finance  such  enterprises,  the  best  returns  ever 
received  from  ship  owning  were  not  worth  looking  at,  and  while  the 
wealth  of  the  old  world  was  being  scattered  through  the  country  for 
material  and  labor  to  build  railroads,  where  was  the  necessity  for  foster- 
ing a  business  that  required  a  new  kind  of  training  and  did  not  present 
anything  like  the  opportunities  for  the  getting  of  wealth. 

Thoughtful  men,  however,  throughout  the  country,  especially  in 
states  facing  the  oceans,  have  been  feeling  for  some  time  that  a  change 
was  approaching,  and  that  the  time  is  not  far  off  when  this  country 
will  find  that  it  is  necessary,  even  at  some  cost,  to  build  up  an-  ocean 
commerce  through  ships  under  our  own  flag.  As  American  wealth 
increases  it  must  find  an  outlet  on  the  ocean  and  our  government  must 
find  a  way  to  make  it  profitable  to  do  so  by  placing  her  ship  owners  on. 
an  equal  footing  with  those  of  other  nations  with  whom  they  must  com- 
pete. Look  at  any  railroad  map  of  the  United  States  and  note  the  tangled 
net  work  of  black  lines  crossing  it  and  recrossing  it  in  every  direction 
and  you  will  be  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  in  our  generation,  at  least, 
there  is  not  much  room  left  for  more  railroads,  at  any  rate,  not  for  many 
more  great  trunk  lines  such  as  have  been  built  in  the  last  forty  years, 
some  of  them  spanning  the  entire  continent. 

This  is  one  of  the  facts  that  I  look  to  as  helping  to  bring  about  an 
ultimate  change  of  public  opinion  in  the  direction  of  the  ocean  on  both 
sides  of  the  continent  and  in  favor  of  a  development  of  our  merchant 
marine.  How  long  it  will  be  before  this  growing  sentiment  takes  practi- 
cal effect,  bringing  the  conditions  to  a  necessity  compelling  action,  no 
one  can  say;  but  if  the  hope  is  not  father  to  the  thought  I  believe  it  can- 
not be  much  further  deferred.  When  this  country  once  realizes  that  the 
time  has  come  when  it  is  a  national  necessity  that  merchant  ships,  built 
in  our  own  shipyards,  manned  and  officered  by  our  own  citizens,  owned 
and  operated  by  our  progressive  men  of  affairs,  represent  her  enterprise 
and  power  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  there  will1  be  found  a  way  to  do  it 
with  profit  to  all  concerned.  This  necessity,  when  it  grows  strong 
eiough  to  become  active  in  practical  results,  will  itself  be  the  product 
of  sentiment  that  must  be  cultivated  to  such  an  extent  that  efforts  to 
revive  and  stimulate  shipping  will  be  understqod  by  the  people,  and 
questions  regarding  such  matters  needing  legislation  will  be  treated  in 
the  manner  that  their  importance  demands. 

The  British  government  never  permits  an  opportunity  for  culti- 
vating a  healthy  sentiment  on  the  part  of  the  general  public  in  regard 
to  naval  matters  to  slip  by  unimproved.  Maritime  exhibitions  are  fostered 
at  the  principal  seaports.  Naval  maneuvers  are  carried  on  along  her 
whole  coast.  Launches  and  trials  are  made  semi-public  functions.  All 
the  traditions  of  the  past  glories  of  the  naval  and  mercantile  fleets  of 
Britain  are  made  part  of  the  education  of  the  youth,  and  the  desire  to 
increase  the  glory  of  future  fleets  is  carefully  instilled  into  the  coming 
generation,  until  it  has  become  a  part  of  the  national  life.  No  matter 
what  the  programme  may  be  for  the  increase  of  the  British  navy,  or  the 
advancement  of  the  mercantile  marine,  the  country  responds  heartily. 
If  we  felt  the  necessity  for  naval  power  as  Britain  feels  it,  then  nothing 
could  prevent  its  realization.  Every  country  today  that  aspires  to  a 
leading  place  among  the  nations  feels  the  necessity  for  securing,  no 
matter  at  what  cost,  a  position  on  the  sea,  commensurate  with  the  posi- 
tion aspired  to  in  the  council  of  nations.  The  development  of  the  great 
coast  lines  of  America,  the  necessity  of  providing  industrial  opportuni- 
ties for  the  population  of  the  cities  and  states  bordering  on  the  ocean, 
are  questions  that  are  pressing  now  for  a  solution,  and  this  pressure  will 
increase  until  it  commands  attention. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  65 

No  industry  equals  shipbuilding  in  the  amount  of  work  it  provides 
for  large  numbers  of  men.  The  shipyards  of  which  I  was  until  lately 
manager,  not  a  very  large  one  when  compared  with  the  great  yards  in 
the  centers  of  shipping  interests,  yet  maintains  through  its  direct  employ- 
ment between  three  and  four  thousand  men,  a  population  of  at  least 
fourteen  thousand.  Into  no  other  product  of  man's  skill  does  such  a 
large  proportion  of  the  money  expended  go  for  wages.  That  is  orTe 
reason  why  shipbuilding  centers  are  so  generally  prosperous.  The  ship- 
builder may  fail  to  get  rich  personally,  and  generally  does,  but  as  long 
as  he  builds  ships  he  never  fails  to  scatter  wealth  all  around.  The  pity 
is  that  so  few  of  them  succeed  in  holding  on  to  a  small  portion  for  them- 
selves. The  shipbuilders'  art  and  the  art  of  making  wealth  are  hardly 
ever  found  in  the  same  individual.  It  has  often  been  said  of  my  own 
family,  "that  they  would  rather  build  ships  and  remain  poor  than  do 
anything  else  and  grow  rich." 

When  the  necessity  for  our  flag  being  represented  in  the  commerce 
of  the  world  in  proportion  to  the  wealth  of  the  country  becomes  a 
general  sentiment  among  the  people,  obstructive  laws  will  be  swept 
away  and  wise  laws  to  carry  such  sentiment  into  effect  enacted.  Till 
then  those  who  have  this  great  question  on  their  hearts  must  work  and 
wait,  using  every  opportunity  that  presents  itself  to  impress  upon  others 
the  necessity,  that  they  see  and  feel  to  be  fast  coming  upon  this  country, 
to  assert  itself  as  a  power  that  means  to  take  a  fair  share  in  ruling 
the  wave. 

If,  then,  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when  the  United  States,  in  a 
commercial  sense,  must  give  an  affirmative  answer  to  the  question  of  the 
necessity  of  being  a  great  power  on  the  sea,  how  is  it  in  regard  to  the 
same  question  in  a  naval  sense?  Our  country  has  already  answered  this 
question  in  the  affirmative.  The  civil  war  had  served  to  show  in  what 
direction  the  naval  architect  must  look  for  the  warship  of  the  future. 
This  knowledge,  however,  was  for  the  benefit  of  British  and  French 
naval  establishments  and  not  for  the  country  that  had  so  dearly  bought 
the  experience.  The  government  had  greater  and  more  pressing  necessi- 
ties to  provide  for  than  the  reconstruction  of  a  navy.  The  whole  edifice 
of  government  had  been  shattered  and  must  be  rebuilt  almost  from  the 
very  foundations.  Among  the  many  necessities  of  the  time  a  modern 
navy  was  not  by  any  means  the  most  needed,  so  the  navy  department 
fell  out  of  sight  of  the  people;  they  had  so  many  other  tilings  to  look 
at  that  were  nearer  home.  The  politicians,  therefore,  got  the  navy 
department  and  used  it  as  an  instrument,  not  to  build  ships,  but  to  build 
up  and  support  whatever  kind  of  political  structure  he  happened  to  be 
engaged  upon  at  the  time.  For  about  twenty  years  the  people  of  the 
United  States  knew  nothing  about  their  navy  and  did  not  appear  to  care 
whether  there  was  a  navy  or  not.  During  these  years  a  revolution, 
based  partly  on  what  had  been  learned  from  this  country's  experiences, 
had  taken  place  in  the  navies  of  the  world.  •  The  warship,  like  the  mer- 
chant ship,  was  being  built  of  new  materials,  and  a  race  was  being  run 
between  steel  protection  and  gun  penetration.  Modern  machinery  was 
increasing  the  speed  for  short  distances,  as  well  as  the  ability  to  run  long 
distances.  When  at  last  the  American  people,  about  eighteen  years  ago, 
began  to  feel  that  a  navy  was  a  necessity,  if  we  were  to  be  secure  at 
home  or  honored  abroad,  the  politician  had  to  give  up  the  navy  depart- 
ment, or  what  was  left  of  it,  which  was  very  little,  and  let  whoever  had 
heart  and  head  t9  do  anything  begin  what  was  practically  a  new  business. 
What  other  nations  had  reached  through  twenty  years  of  experiment 
must  be  mastered  at  once  by  the  United  States  naval  architect,  as  this 
people  have  never  been  tolerant  in  regard  to  mistakes,  as  we  know  to  our 
cost.  With  the  growth  of  experience  in  the  British  and  European  naval 
centers,  had  grown  up  great  plants  for  handling  the  raw  material 


66  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

required,  and  skill  in  operating  them,  so  that  the  result  could  be  depended 
upon.  With  us,  such  plants  were  expected  to  be  brought  into  existence 
and  perfect  operation  without  passing  through  the  experimental  stage 
and  the  result  be  not  only  equal  to  the  best  produced  hitherto,  but  better 
in  every  particular.  How  the  engineers  and  naval  architects  of  this 
country  responded  to  this  sudden  demand  upon  their  ability,  both  in 
design  and  execution,  has  been  the  admiration  of  naval  experts  the  world 
over.  Eighteen  years  ago  our  naval  architects  and  shipbuilders  were 
twenty  years  behind  those  of  Great  Britain.  Today  we  are  abreast  of 
the  most  advanced  practice  in  warship  construction. 

This  brings  me  to  that  part  of  my  subject  that  looks  to  a  continu- 
ance of  warship  building  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Should  the  government 
provide  for  any  differential  in  favor  of  the  Pacific  coast  shipyards  in  the 
building  of  naval  vessels?  Twenty-four  vessels  of  the  new  navy,  includ- 
ing those  not  yet  delivered,  have  been  built  in  Pacific  coast  yards, 
twenty  of  these  by  the  Union  Iron  Works  of  San  Francisco.  Most  of 
these  have  been  built  without  any  differential  in  favor  of  the  yard  that 
built  them,  although  in  several  cases  Congress  had  provided  for  a  4  per 
cent  possible  differential  in  favor  of  this  coast.  The  reason  why  in  all 
cases  this  coast  did  not  benefit  by  the  differential  provided  was  that  the 
contracts  came  to  this  coast  because  our  bid  was  actually  the  lowest.  To 
be  really  of  advantage  to  the  shipbuilder  here  the  acts  of  Congress  should 
have  provided  that  the  contract  should  be  awarded  to  the  lowest  satis- 
factory bid,  irrespective  of  location  of  yard;  should  a  Pacific  coast  bid  be 
the  lowest  that  bidder  should  have  the  contract  with  a  bonus  of  4  per 
cent;  this  would  have  insured  the  preference  proposed. 

The  only  vessel  built  on  this  coast  where  a  real  fixed  preference 
was  given  was  in  the  case  of  the  battleship  Oregon;  she  was  one  of  the 
three  first  battleships  built  in  the  United  States,  and  the  government 
desired  very  much  to  have  one  built  on  the  Pacific  coast  owing  to  the 
need  of  such  a  ship  on  the  Pacific.  Our  bid,  however,  was  above  that 
of  the  Philadelphia  yard  that  got  the  contract  for  the  other  two.  The 
question  as  to  the  power  of  the  navy  department  to  award  a  contract  to 
oher  than  the  lowest  bidder  was  referred  to  President  Cleveland,  who, 
after  considering  the  question,  decided  to  offer  the  contract  to  the  Union 
Iron  Works  at  the  lowest  eastern  bid,  plus  the  difference  in  freight  on 
the  steel  material  required  to  build  the  vessel  from  Pittsburg  to  Phila- 
delphia in  one  case  and  from  Pittsburg  to  San  Francisco  in  the  other. 
This  differential  originating  with  Mr.  Cleveland's  offer  to  the  Union  Iron 
Works  and  accepted  by  them,  is  the  only  true  ground  for  requiring  a 
differential  in  favor  of  the  Pacific  coast.  The  claim  that  the  Pacific 
coast  shipyard  pays  higher  wages  than  the  yards  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
cannot  be  justly  made  a  sufficient  reason  for  a  differential  in  favor  of 
the  Pacific  yard.  The  wages  paid  in  the  Atlantic  yards  differ  as  much 
between  the  highest  and  lowest  there  as  the  difference  between  the 
highest  there  and  the  rates  on  the  Pacific  coast,  but  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation between  the  steel  works  and  the  shipyards  is  a  fixed  and 
known  quantity,  and  it  is  only  fair  to  ask  Congress  to  provide  a  means 
whereby  shipbuilders  on  this  coast  will  be  placed  on  an  equal  footing 
with  those  on  the  Atlantic,  leaving  it  to  the  shipbuilder  to  find  out  a  way 
to  make  the  amount  of  his  wages  bill  in  building  a  warship  no  greater 
than  his  competitor's  on  the  Atlantic  side,  no  matter  what  the  rate  of 
wages  may  be.  The  4  per  cent  preference,  if  made  a  certain  thing  for 
the  Pacific  coast  builder,  will  fully  meet  the  difference  in  cost  of  trans- 
portation of  steel  materials,  and  should  be  introduced  in  the  next  bill 
that  comes  before  Congress  for  an  increase  in  the  navy.  Whether  this 
preference  that  can  be  justly  asked  of  Congress  would  enable  the  ship- 
yards on  the  Pacific  coast  to  continue  building  warships  is  a  problem  for 
the  shipbuilder  here  to  settle.  The  keen  competition  among  the  ship- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  67 

yards  of  the  country  to  secure  government  work  renders  the  outlook 
anything  but  bright  for  the  Pacific  coast  yards.  Nothing  but  the  most 
rigid  economy  and  the  highest  shipbuilding  ability  will  enable  them  to 
continue  in  the  fight  with  any  chance  of  profit;  they  should  have  more 
local  encouragement  than  is  afforded  them.  Neither  San  Francisco  nor 
California  has  done  anything  for  this  industry  that  has  done  much  for 
their  upbuilding.  Seattle  has  done  better  by  her  shipyard  and  it  rs~ 
hoped  that  she  will  do  more.  It  pays  a  city  to  encourage  her  shipyards; 
it  pays  a  state  to  provide  every  facility  for  this  industry,  and  it  will  pay 
the  navy  department  to  keep  the  Pacific  coast  shipyards  in  an  efficient 
condition,  as  the  country  may  need  them  some  day  badly.  I  do  not 
think  that  it  is  necessary  to  say  anything  more  on  the  naval  part  of  my 
subject.  This  in  relation  to  Pacific  coast  shipyards  will,  no  doubt,  come 
more  directly  before  the  Congress.  The  progress  made  towards  pro- 
viding this  country  with  an  effective,  powerful  and  in  every  sense  modern 
navy  has  been  very  satisfactory,  and  the  navy  department,  with  its  splen- 
did staff  of  naval  architects  and  engineers,  is  quite  able  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  future.  Thoughtful  men  sometimes  wonder  what  we 
want  with  a  navy,  representing  us  at  the  various  mercantile  seaports  of 
the  world,  when  we  have  no  merchant  marine  whose  interests  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  navy  to  protect.  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  take  up  much 
time  describing  existing  conditions  as  far  as  our  merchant  marine  is 
concerned.  It  is  a  matter  of  universal'  knowledge,  and  I  think  almost 
universal  regret,  that  our  deep-sea  shipping  is  practically  driven  -From  the 
ocean.  More  than  90  per  cent  of  our  foreign  commerce  is  being  carried 
in  foreign  ships  flying  foreign  flags.  In  order  that  the  United  States 
may  participate  in  ocean  commerce  to  the  extent  that  her  own  imports 
and  exports  entitle  her  to,  there  must  be:  First.  A  strong  sentiment 
throughout  the  country  in  favor  of  carrying  the  products  of  our  industry 
under  our  own  flag  to  every  country  that  cares  to  exchange  products 
with  us.  Second.  Wise  national  laws  to  foster  and  protect  our  mer- 
chant marine,  making  it  possible  for  our  shipbuilders  to  construct  and 
equip  ships  and  our  ship  owners  to  purchase  and  operate  them.  Third. 
State  and  municipal  laws  on  the  part  of  seagirt  states  and  maritime  cities, 
encouraging  shipbuilding  and  ship  owning  within  their  own  borders.  I 
have  already  spoken  of  the  need  of  a  general  sentiment  throughout  our 
country  in,  favor  of  a  revival  of  the  merchant  marine.  Now,  what  has 
been  done  in  regard  to  securing  wise  national  Legislation  looking  to  the 
revival  of  American  shipping  for  foreign  commerce?  The  President  in 
his  annual  message  to  Congress,  December  7,  1903,  said:  "A  majority 
of  our  people  desire  that  steps  be  taken  in  the  interests  of  American 
shipping  so  that  we  may  once  more  resume  our  former  position  in  the 
ocean-carrying  trade.  But  hitherto  the  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the 
proper  method  of  reaching  this  end  have  been  so  wide  that  it  has  proved 
impossible  to  secure  the  adoption  of  any  particular  scheme.  Having  in 
view  these  facts,  I  recommend  that  the  congress  direct  the  secretary  of 
the  navy,  the  postmaster  general  and  the  secretary  of  commerce  and 
labor,  associated  with  such  a  representation  from  the  senate  and  house 
of  representatives  as  the  congress  in  its  wisdom  may  designate,  to  serve 
as  a  commission  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  and  reporting  to  con- 
gress at  its  next  session  what  legislation  is  desirable  or  necessary  for  the 
development  of  the  American  merchant  marine  and  American  com- 
merce." In  response  to  this  earnest  recommendation,  congress  passed 
the  act  of  April  28,  1904,  creating  the  merchant  marine  commission,  com- 
posed of  five  senators -and  five  representatives.  This  commission  set  to 
work.  The  mercantile  interests  of  the  country  welcomed  the  investiga- 
tion and  readily  appeared  before  the  commission  to  give  testimony.  The 
commission  held  meetings  and  took  evidence  in  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore,  Boston,  Galveston,  New  Orleans,  Pensacola,  Brunswick,  New- 


68  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS' 

port  News,  Chicago,  Detroit,  Cleveland,  Milwaukee,  Seattle,  Tacoma, 
Portland  and  San  Francisco.  The  commission,  also  held  daily  sessions 
in  the  city  of  Washington  from  November  22  to  December  12,  1904,  hear- 
ing evidence,  sifting  the  printed  testimony  and  preparing  the  bill  that 
is  now  pending.  The  testimony  given,  before  this  commission,  now 
published  in  three  volumes,  is  a  remarkable  mass  of  evidence,  with  much 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  methods  and  policies,  but  nowhere  is  there 
any  difference  as  to  the  main  principle  of  national  recognition  and 
encouragement  of  our  hard-pressed  ocean-carrying  trade.  Of  the  hun- 
dreds of  witnesses  who  appeared  before  the  commission  a  large  propor- 
tion we,re  men  who  have  not  a  dollar's  worth  of  actual  interest  in  ships 
or  shipbuilding,  showing  that  the  people  are  now  really  interested  in  the 
possible  revival  of  our  merchant  marine.  The  report  of  the  commission, 
largely  explanatory  of  the  bill  introduced  by  them,  should  be  carefully 
read  by  every  one  interested  in  the  revival  of  our  foreign  commerce.  The 
bill  itself  is  a  compromise  measure;  very  few  will  find  it  entirely  satis- 
factory in  all  its  provisions;  there  are  many  conflicting  interests  that 
must  be  considered,  and  the  result  of  the  labor  of  the  commission,  as 
embodied  in  this  bill,  should  receive  the  hearty  support  of  all  who  desire 
to  foster  the  upbuilding  of  our  merchant  marine.  The  Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress  can  do  much  to  further  the  passage  of  this  bill, 
which  has  been  framed  in  an  honest  effort  to  unite  all  interests  in  the 
one  purpose  of  placing  us  where  we  should  be  amongst  commercial 
nations. 

Natural  conditions,  over  which  our  ship  owners  and  shipbuilders 
have  no  control,  and  which  they  either,  individually  or  collectively,  are 
powerless  to  change,  makes  the  cost  of  building  vessels  in  the  United 
States  much  greater,  from  30  to  40  per  cent  at  least,  than  the  cost  of 
building  vessels  in  other  countries.  The  cost  of  manning  and  victualling 
American  built  ships  is  also  much  greater,  probably  not  less  than  30  per 
cent  than  it  is  in  foreign  ships.  In  addition  to  this,  there  are  other 
expenses  in  the  management  of  vessels  which  are  greater  in  the  United 
States  than  they  are  in  other  countries,  such  as  taxes,  repairs,  outfit  and 
equipment.  Most  of  these  higher  costs  are  the  outgrowth  of  conditions 
resulting  from  the  policy  of  high  protection  that  has  obtained  in  the 
United  States  during  practically  the  same  period  that  American  shipping 
engaged  in  the  foreign  trade  has  been  declining. 

The  cost  of  materials  entering  into  the  construction  and  outfitting 
of  American  vessels  is  necessarily  higher  because  of  the  conditions  that 
obtain  in  other  industries  that  are  highly  prosperous  under  the  protec- 
tion afforded  by  the  tariff — industries  employing  precisely  the  same  mate- 
rials that  are  employed  in  shipbuilding  and  outfitting.  The"  wages  of 
the  workmen  employed  at  our  shipyards  are  on  the  same  high  scale,  due 
to  the  general  standard  of  wages  prevailing  in  similar  industries  that 
are  great,  powerful  and  profitable  under  our  protective  system  that 
covers  everything  but  the  ship  engaged  in  foreign  trade.  Let  me  give 
you  a  comparison  I  made  in  1900,  when  visiting  shipyards  abroad,  of 
the  actual  wages  paid  in  the  Union  Iron  Works  shipyard,  San  Francisco, 
with  the  average  wages  paid  to  the  same  class  of  workmen  in  twelve 
of  the  principal  yards  in  Great  Britain: 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  69 

Draughting  Room.  Union  Iron  Works.  British  Yard. 

Draughtsmen,  per  week 19.44  9.24 

Apprentices,  per  week  6.30  3.10 

Pattern  shop,  pattern  makers,  per  week  22.74  9.75 

Helpers,  per  week 13.20  6.25 

Apprentices,  pattern  makers,  per  week.  .  6.07  3.02 

Blacksmith  shop,  blacksmiths,  per  week  20.28  9.84 

Helpers,  per  week..: 13.20  6.62 

Apprentices,  per  week 6.72  3.78 

Machine  shop,  machinists,  per  week....  19.38  9.69 

Helpers,  per  week 13 . 20  6.86 

Apprentices,  per  week 5.58  3.05 

Boiler  Shop. 

Laying  out  work,  per  week 20.28  10.00 

Boiler  makers,  per  week 19.74  9.36 

Apprentices,  per  week 7.08  3.22 

Joiner  shop,  joiners,  per  week 21.18  9.50 

Helpers,  per  week 12.72  6.35 

Apprentices,  per  week 7.08 

Ship  carpenters  and  caulkers,  per  week.  22.14  9.88 

Helpers,  per  week 13.20  6.22 

Apprentices,  per  week 5.76  3.32 

Ship  fitters,  fitters,  per  week 20.10  9.50 

Helpers,  per  week 12.60  6.52 

Apprentices,  per  week 7 . 25  3 . 67 

Riveters,   per  week    21 . 50  9 . 88 

Drillers,  chipping  and  calking,  per  week  18.34  8.98 

Helpers,  per  week 13.28  6.72 

Rivet  heater  boys,  per  week 7.80  4.20 

Coppersmiths,   per   week 19. 20  9.72 

Helpers,  per  week 13.44  7.36 

Boys,  per  week  7.20  3.86 

While  these  conditions  continue  to  exist  it  is  futile  to  suggest,  as 
has  been  done,  that  ships  can  be  built  in  the  United  States  as  cheaply 
as  they  can  be  abroad.  If  they  could,  they  would  be,  and  the  fact  that 
they  are  not  built  at  all  indicates  that  their  cost  renders  them  unprofit- 
able in  comparison  with  foreign  vessels.  If,  therefore,  other  nations  did 
none  of  the  things  that  they  so  long  have  done,  and  still  do,  for  the 
encouragement  and  maintenance  of  their  merchant  shipping,  the  differ- 
ence in  cost  of  constructing,  operating,  etc.,  between  American  and  for- 
eign vessels  would  suffice  to  make  it  unprofitable,  and  hence  unattractive 
to  Americans,  either  to  invest  in  or  build  ships  for  the  foreign  trade.  But 
when  we  add  to  these  undeniable  advantages  these  foreign  competitors 
possess  over  our  own  citizens,  the  advantage  they  also  possess  through 
government  assistance  and  regulation,  then  the  reason  why  our  Ameri- 
can vessels  carry  but  9  per  cent  of  our  foreign  commerce,  valued  at 
about  two  thousand  five  hundred  millions  of  dollars  annually,  and  why 
foreign  vessels  carry  over  90  per  cent  of  this  commerce,  receiving  there- 
for freight  charges  closely  approximating  two  hundred  millions  of  dol- 
lars, are  pretty  well  explained  and  set  forth.  These  are  the  conditions 
that  congress  must  recognize  and  adequately  meet  through  the  adoption 
of  .effective  legislation  before  the  problem  of  establishing  an  American 
merchant  marine  in,  the  foreign  trade,  measurably  equal  to  our  foreign 
carrying  needs,  has  been  solved.  I  have  faith  in  the  ability  of  congress 
to  solve  the  problem  of  how  best  to  revive  and  maintain  the  merchant 
marine  in  this  country.  The  work  done  by  the  present  commission  has 
thrown  much  light  on  what  was  obscure  in  the  problem,  and  the  long 


70  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

suffering  shipbuilder  and  ship  owner  will  yet  see  what  he  has  so  long 
looked  for,  business  that,  if  well  done,  will  bring  satisfactory  compen- 
sation. 

Whatever  expenditures  the  government  may  have  to  make  in  order 
to  build  up  our  merchant  marine  will  be  a  good  investment  for  the 
nation.  We  are  spending  on  our  new  navy  over  $80,000,000  annually, 
and  without  a  corresponding  merchant  fleet  to  depend  on  for  service  in 
time  of  need  the  war  fleet's  power  may  be  very  much  weakened.,  During 
the  Spanish  war  the  United  States  was  hard  put  to  for  merchant  steamers 
to  carry  men  and  materials;  we  had  to  buy  freight  ships  at  any  price  that 
was  asked,  and  this  war  was  a  small  thing  for  -this  great  country,  yet 
the  lesson  taught  in  this  respect  has  passed  unheeded.  During  the  war 
between  Japan  and  China,  Japan  had  no  merchant  ships  to  depend  on  of 
her  own;  she  had  to  hire  or  buy  whatever  she  could  get,  but  the  experi- 
ence was  not  lost.  After  the  war  she  determined  to  have  a  merchant 
marine  of  her  own  and  set  about  bringing  it  into  existence,  the  govern- 
ment helping  the  shipbuilder  and  ship  owner  to  the  extent  necessary  to 
bring  about  the  desired  result.  When  the  time  came  to  try  her  strength 
against  that  of  Russia  she  had  at  least  fifty  large  ocean  steamers  of  her 
own  ready  at  once  for  the  work,  enabling  her  to  strike  a  quick  and  deci- 
sive blow  at  the  Russian,  who  was  dreaming  that  it  would  take  the  Jap 
a  long  time  to  get  ready.  She  had  transports  all  ready  to  send  with  her 
army  as  soon  as  war  was  declared.  Her  investment  in  a  merchant 
marine  was  a  paying  one.  We  will  soon  see  to  our  sorrow  a  still  further 
e:\pansion  of  the  merchant  marine  of  Japan.  No  nation  can  be  a  great 
sea  power  without  a  great  merchant  marine  giving  a  reserve  of  both 
ships  and  men  in  the  time  of  need. 

Besides  the  aid  that  must  come  from  national  legislation.  I  have 
always  maintained  that  the  sea-bordered  states  will  be  forced  to  apply 
state  legislation  to  the  upbuilding  of  their  own  shipping  interests.  The 
state  can  foster  shipping  just  as  effectively  as  the  nation,  as  the  benefits 
to  be  derived  from  large  shipping  interests  will  center  in  the  ship  owning 
and  shipbuilding  states.  For  instance,  to  every  ship  built  and  owned  in 
the  state  in  which  she  is  enrolled  the  harbors  of  the  state  ought  to  be 
free,  and  all  shipping  property  when  engaged  in  interstate  or  foreign 
commerce  should  be  relieved  of  all  state  or  municipal  taxes.  Some 
states  have  done  this  to  a  limited  extent,  and  these  states  own  whatever 
ocean  trade  this  country  possesses  today.  The  eyes  of  the  people  of  this 
country  are  being  opened  to  the  importance  of  naval-  power,  both  in  a 
military  and  commercial  sense,  also  to  the  future  position  we  are  destined 
to  occupy  among  the  great  nations  of  the  world.  One  thing  is  certain, 
we  have  entered  on  a  course  that  is  to  lead  us,  if  not  into  deep  water,  at 
least  on  to  deep  water,  and  on  deep  water  we  will  be  much  safer  in  our 
own  ships.  (Applause.) 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS:  I  am  requested  to  announce  that  the 
Committee  on  Resolutions  will  meet  at  2  o'clock  this  afternoon  in  the 
Chapman  school  building,  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the  Auditorium, 
and  that  the  Committee  on  Permanent  Organization  will  meet  in 
the  parlors  of  the  American  Inn  at  7  :30  p.  m. 

MR.  BLACK  (Washington)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  it  seems  to  me 
thus  far  this  Congress  has  been  a  flow  of  oratory  and  no  business, 
and  it  is  time  that  we  got  down  to  some  sort  of  business.  Under 
our  Constitution  we  ought  to  have  had  our  election  and  the  new 
officers  should  have  taken  the  chair  this  morning.  Our  Committee 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  /  1 

on  Resolutions  has  not  yet  taken  the  first  step  towards  doing  any- 
thing, and  yet  the  second  day,  so  far  as  sessions  are  concerned,  is 
about  at  an  end.  I  would  therefore  move  that  immediately  on  the 
adjournment  of  this  session,  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  meet 
here  and  now,  and  organize.  If  we  don't  do  that,  we  will  go  to 
lunch  and  no  one  will  get  back  here  if  we  fix  the  meeting  at  2  o'clock, 
and  nothing  will  be  done.  Let  us  get  started. 

JUDGE  RAKER  (California)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  that  is  not  fair  to 
the  other  members.  Two-thirds  of  themjiave  gone,  and  it  is  not 
fair  to  have  a  meeting  and  select  a  chairman  and  secretary  now.  It 
was  determined  and  so  announced  to  the  convention  by  the  Secretary 
that  this  committee  should  meet  at  2  o'clock.  Now  let  that  stand 
as  directed. 

MR.  CASE  (Kansas)  :  I  am  for  a  fair  and  square  deal.  It  has 
been  announced  that  the  committee  shall  meet  at  2  o'clock;  let  us 
not  change  it.  But  I  want  to  ask  if  it  is  a  part  of  the  organization 
that  we  shall  not  know  anything  about  what  we  are  to  do.  I  heard 
my  name  mentioned  as  one  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions.  This 
is  my  first  visit  to  this  kind  of  a  convention,  but  if  I  have  a  duty 
to  perform  I  would  like  to  know  what  we  are  to  do.  Is  it  our  duty 
to  receive  resolutions  and  hand  them  to  the  convention  with  our 
recommendation,  or  will  those  who  introduce  them  be  expected  to 
read  their  resolutions  in  this  body  before  we  are  authorized  to  con- 
sider them?  A  motion  was  passed  awhile  ago  that  resolutions 
could  be  introduced  in  the  convention,  and  a  few  were  read,  and 
some  handed  their  resolutions  to  me.  As  I  understand  it,  I  have 
no  right  to  present  them  to  the  committee  until  they  are  read  in 
the  convention. 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  I  don't  profess  to  know  anything,  but  I 
know  a  little,  and  I  learned  most  of  it  in  the  different  conventions 
of  this  Congress.  In  the  first  place,  when  a  committee  is  appointed, 
it  has  a  chairman ;  usually  the  first  named,  where  it  is  not  otherwise 
designated.  That  committee  meets  on  its  own  motion.  The  reso- 
lution that  that  committee  should  meet  here  at  2  o'clock  after  the 
committee  had  been  made  would  be  a  control  that  is  not  ordinarily 
attempted  to  be  exercised  by  a  convention  over  a  committee  already 
in  existence,  and  as  you  might  say,  out  of  sight.  To  reply  to  the 
gentleman's  other  question,  on  motion  of  the  gentleman  from  New 
Mexico  (Mr.  Prince)  this  morning  it  was  decided  that  resolutions 
would  be  in  order  until  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  should  re- 
port. It  is  the  understanding  that  any  person  who  has  a  resolution 
can  read  it  or  he  can  hand  it  to  the  Secretary,  and  in  either  case, 
without  debate,  it  will  go  to  the  Committee  on  Resolutions.  What- 
ever resolutions  come  before  your  committee  you  are  to  consider, 
and  whatever  you  deem  unnecessary  you  need  not  report.  You 


72  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

do  report  and  set  forth  resolutions  which  meet  with  your  approval, 
and  they  come  before  the  convention  for  discussion.  That  is  as 
good  an  answer  as  I  can  give,  and  I  think  it  covers  the  ground. 

MR.  BLACK:  In  making  the  motion  I  did,  I  did  not  know  of 
the  announcement  spoken  of.  My  idea  was  that  there  were  more 
here  now;  but  with  the  consent  of  my  second  I  will  withdraw  the 
motion. 

Consent  was  given,  and  the  motion  was  withdrawn. 
GENERAL  NOBLE:    Is  there  anything  else  before  we  adjourn? 

JUDGE  RAKER:  There  has  been  no  time  designated  by  the 
Chair,  or  any  one,  when  the  Committee  on  Permanent  Organization 
will  meet,  and  no  one  named  as  chairman  of  that  committee. 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS:  I  have  already  announced  that  the  Com- 
mittee on  Permanent  Organization  would  meet  at  7  :30  p.  m.  in  the 
parlors  of  the  American  Inn. 

The  following  letter  was  read  by  the  Secretary : 

Elkins,  W.  Va.,  July  28,  1905. 

Mr.   Arthur   F.    Francis,    Secretary  Trans-Mississippi    Commercial    Con- 
gress, Cripple  Creek,  Colo: 

My  Dear  Sir — I  have  received  a  copy  of  the  call  for  the  Portland 
session  of  the  Congress,  also  various  printed  matter  which  you  have 
sent  to  me,  also  your  letters,  for  all  of  which  please  accept  my  sincere 
thanks. 

From  all  appearances  it  would  seem  that  the  coming  meeting  of  the 
Congress  will  be  the  best  and  perhaps  the  most  important  in  its  history. 
I  am  pleased  that  the  people  of  the  far  west  take  a  deep  interest  in  the 
Congress. 

The  subjects  for  discussion  this  year  are  all  live  subjects  and  the 
Oriental  trade  is  a  subject  of  the  highest  importance.  Our  country  is 
now  in  the  colonial  business,  expanding  its  possessions  for  good  of  all. 
It  is  a  new  subject,  especially  in  its  trade  relations,  and  yet  still  more 
important  is  it  from  a  national  aspect.  It  spreads  before  us  a  future,  the 
possibilities  of  which  no  one  can  foretell. 

I  am  hoping  for  the  opportunity  of  a  short  trip  to  Europe  for  a  few 
weeks'  vacation,  otherwise  I  would  be  with  you  at  this  meeting  of  the 
Congress. 

My  regards  to  the  officers^  members  of  the  Executive  Committee 
and  to  the  Congress  itself,  and  with  good  wishes  for  its  success  and  con- 
tinually increasing  influence  as  a  commercial  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of 
this  great  nation,  I  remain, 

Sincerely  yours, 

R.  C.  KERNS. 

(Applause.) 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  I  will  now  announce  the  special  committee 
on  revision  of  the  by-laws :  L.  Bradford  Prince,  New  Mexico ;  Tom 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  73 

Richardson,  Oregon ;  Arthur  F.  Francis,  Colorado ;  Hon.  T.  T.  Crit- 
tenden,  Missouri;  Rufus  P.  Jennings,  California. 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  There  are  yet  two  papers  to  be  submitted  at 
this  session  of  the  Congress.  It  is  nearly  the  hour  of  adjourning, 
and  it  rests  with  the  Congress  as  to  what  shall  be  done.  One  of 
these  goes  over  until  tomorrow ;  that  of  Mr.  Van  Loben  Sels.  What 
shall  be  done  with  the  other? 

JUDGE  RAKER:  I  move  that  the  gentleman  be  invited  to  state 
very  briefly  what  his  paper  is,  and  that  we  consider  it  read. 

The  motion  was  seconded. 

A  delegate  from  Nebraska  moved  that  the  paper  be  read  by 
title  only  and  printed  in  the  Record. 

The  motion  was  seconded,  and  it  was  so  ordered. 

The  papers  by  Mr.  Van  Loben  Sels  of  San  Francisco  on  "The 
Improvement  of  Rivers  and  Harbors"  went  over,  and  that  of  B.  C 
Wright  of  San  Francisco  on  "The  West  the  Best"  was  submitted 
and  herewith  follows : 

THE  WEST  THE  BEST. 

A  paper  by  Benj.  C.  Wright,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  at  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  Portland,  Ore.,  August  16-19, 
1905. 

My  proposition  that  the  west  is  the  best  is  so  self-evident  to  the 
members  of  this  Congress,  that  it  appears  to  be  a  work  of  supererogation 
to  present  proofs.  You  all  believe  it  to  be  true,  and  furthermore  you  all 
know  it  to  be  true.  The  evidence  which  I  shall  produce  in  confirmation 
of  its  truth  is  rather  for  the  benefit  of  those  benighted  ones  who  are  still 
trying  to  eke  out  a  living  among  the  congested  conditions  which  prevail 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  country. 

It  was  Bishop  Berkeley  who  said,  "Westward  the  course  of  empire 
takes  its  way,"  and  he  only  voiced  what  was  patent  to  everybody  even 
in  his  day. 

Over  sixty  years  ago,  Horace  Greeley  said,  "Go  west,  young  .nan;  go 
west."  That  was  good  advice  then;  it  has  been  good  advice  ever  since; 
and  it  will  be  good  advice  until  the  uttermost  regions  of  the  west  are  as 
densely  populated  as  the  eastern  sections  are  today.  The  millions  who 
have  heeded  that  advice  have  occasion  to  be  grateful. 

Those  who  projected  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress, 
carved  put  for  themselves  a  goodly  heritage  when  they  allowed  the  great 
Mississippi  river  to  be  the  division  line,  choosing  that  portion  of  the 
country  lying  west  of  that  river  as  the  field  of  their  operations.  It  may 
be  considered  a  stretch  of  poetic  license  to  designate  the  section  thus  set 
apart  as  the  west,  but  for  the  purposes  of  this  occasion  and  this  address 
it  will  be  so  considered.  In  the  few  minutes  allotted  me  I  can  only  ap- 
proach the  fringe  of  my  subject. 

Within  these  limits  there  are  nineteen  states  and  five  territories, 
while  east  of  the  Mississippi  there  are  twenty-six  states  and  the  District 
of  Columbia. 


74  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

One  hundred  years  ago,  that  portion  of  the  country  lying  west  of 
the  Mississippi  was  a  comparatively  unbroken  wilderness,  practically 
uninhabited,  except  by  Indians. 

The  discovery  of  this  portion  of  the  great  northwest  by  Lewis  and 
Clark  in  1805  is  the  event  which  is  now  being  celebrated  in  the  fine  exhibi- 
tion on  these  grounds. 

Sixty  years  ago,  the  only  organized  states  within  the  limits  of  this 
Congress  were  Louisiana,  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Iowa  and  Texas,  with  a 
combined  population  of  about  1,000,000.  The  last  census  gave  these 
states  a  population  of  over  11,000,000. 

The  other  fourteen  states  and  territories  have  come  into  existence 
since  1850,  and  most  of  them  at  a  still  later  date. 

Considering  the  jurisdiction  of  this  Congress  as  the  western  por- 
tion of  the  country,  it  will  be  in  order  to  present  some  facts  to  substan- 
tiate the  claim  that  the  west  is  the  best. 

First,  as  to  area.  Excluding  Alaska,  the  United  States  comprises 
2,970,230  square  miles  of  land  area,  and  55,370  square  miles  of  water 
surface. 

That  portion  of  the  country  under  the  special  care  of  this  Congress 
comprises  2,115,527  square  miles  of  land  area,  equal  to  over  70  per  cent 
of  the  total  of  the  whole  country,  and  28,118  square  miles  of  the  water 
surface,  equal  to  more  than  50  per  cent  of  the  whole.  This  clearly 
proves  that  the  largest  half  of  the  area  of  the  country  is  within  the  con- 
fines of  this  Congress;  and  it  goes  without  question  that,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  population  and  wealth,  both  of  which  will  be  developed  in  due 
time,  it  is  the  best  half. 

As  all  wealth  can  be  traced  back  to  the  earth  in  some  form,  it  is  a 
good  thing  to  have  plenty  of  eartrl,  and  earth  that  has  not  been  worked 
to  exhaustion  through  long  years  of  crop  bearing  without  proper  replen- 
ishment. There  are  many  square  miles  of  earth  in  the  zone  under  con- 
sideration that  have  never  been  scratched  for  cultivation  purposes,  while 
there  are  many  more  square  miles  that  have  been  tilled  for  only  a  few 
years. 

Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  population  alone,  the  western  por- 
tion is  more  prosperous  than  the  eastern.  The  population  of  the  nine- 
teen states  and  four  territories  west  of  Mississippi  in  1900  was  20,771,- 
062,  an  increase  of  25  per  cent  from  1890,  whereas  the  increase  for  that 
portion  of  the  country  east  of  the  big  river  for  the  same  decade  was 
less  than  20  per  cent.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  increase  in  the  western 
half  for  the  last  five  years  has  shown  a  larger  percentage  of  gain  than 
for  the  previous  ten.  The  state  census  of  Washington  just  completed 
shows  a  gain  of  84  per  cent  in  the  last  five  years. 

As  elbow  room  is  essential  to  health  and  progress,  it  is  a  pleasure 
to  be  able  to  state  that  we  have  plenty  of  room  for  many  more  millions 
of  people,  and  they  are  coming  by  every  train  that  crosses  the  continent. 
There  are  less  than  ten  persons  per  square  mile  west  of  the  Mississippi) 
while  there  are  about  sixty-five  persons  per  square  mile  east  of  that 
boundary. 

For  commercial  comparisons  we  may  restrict  the  west  to  that  por- 
tion bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  as  drawn  by  a  line  along  the  ridge  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  foreign  commerce  of  the  leading  four  ports  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  as  compared  with  the  principal  four  ports  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
will  further  confirm  our  view  of  the  importance  of  this  end,  of  the 
country. 

The  imports  at  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  for 
the  calendar  year  of  1904  were  valued  at  $789,461,000,  an  increase  of  42 
per  cent  over  the  total  of  1894.  This  increase  was  apportioned  as  fol- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  75 

lows:  New  York,  44  per  cent;  Boston,  62  per  cent;  Philadelphia,  4  per 
cent;  Baltimore,  64  per  cent. 

The  imports  at  San  Francisco,  Portland,  Tacoma  and  Seattle  for 
1904  were  $54,666,130,  an  increase  of  34  per  cent  from  1894.  This  increase 
was  apportioned  as  follows:  San  Francisco,  13  per  cent;  Portland,  248 
per  cent,  and  the  Puget  Sound  ports,  446  per  cent.  The  heavy  increase 
at  the  northern  coast  ports  was  due  to  the  rapid  development  of  the 
Oriental  trade  in  the  past  decade. 

The  exports  from  the  same  Atlantic  ports  for  1904  were  valued  at 
$743,389,740,  an  increase  of  40  per  cent  from  1894.  This  increase  may  be 
credited  as  follows:  New  York,  48  per  cent;  Boston,  3i  per  cent;  Phila- 
delphia, 80  per  cent,  and  Baltimore,  27  per  cent. 

The  exports  from  the  same  Pacific  coast  ports  for  1904  were  valued 
at  $73,018,929,  an  increase  of  132  per  cent  from  1894.  The  increase  from 
San  Francisco  was  80  per  cent;  from  Portland,  90  per  cent.,  and  from 
the  Puget  Sound  ports,  383  per  cent. 

As  will  be  noticed,  the  increase  in  exports  from  the  Pacific  coast 
ports  in  the  past  decade  is  more  than  three  times  as  large  as  from  the 
Atlantic  ports. 

The  flour  and  grain  trade  of  the  United  States  for  the  cereal  year  of 
1904-5  was  unusually  light,  and  the  Pacific  coast  states  suffered  with  the 
remainder  of  the  country,  but  not  proportionately  to  the  same  extent. 
Had  foreign  countries  depended  upon  the  United  States  for  breadstuffs 
in  the  last  fiscal  year,  they  would  have  fared  poorly. 

The  three  Pacific  coast  states  helped  out  in  this  trade  as  never 
before,  contributing  35  per  cent  of  all  the  flour  shipped  from  the  country, 
90  per  cent  of  all  the  wheat,  and  51  per  cent  of  all  the  barley. '  They  also 
contributed  liberally  to  the  supplies  needed  in  the  United  States  from 
Minneapolis  to  Boston.  In  the  previous  fiscal  year  these  same  states 
contributed  20  per  cent  of  all  the  flour  exported  from  the  United  States, 
16  per  cent  of  all  the  wheat,  and  98  per  cent  of  all  the  barley.  From 
the  grain  standpoint,  these  coast  states  are  of  much  importance. 

From  the  bank  standpoint,  a  comparison  of  the  clearings  in  the 
same  cities  shows  to  the  advantage  of  the  Pacific  coast.  The  clearings 
at  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  for  1904  were  $72,680,- 
908,473,  an  increase  of  120  per  cent  as  compared  with  1894.  The  clearings 
at  San  Francisco,  Portland,  Tacoma  and  Seattle  for  1904  were  $2,013,- 
861,658,  an  increase  of  166  per  cent  over  1894. 

Though  the  figures  are  not  at  hand  for  a  comparison  of  the  growth 
in  banking  resources  between  the  east  and  the  west  for  the  past  ten 
years,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  such  growth  has  been  more 
rapid  west  than  east  of  the  Mississippi.  In  the  past  five  years  133 
national  banks  alone  have  been  organized  in  California,  Nevada,  Oregon, 
Washington,  Idaho,  Utah,  Arizona  and  Alaska.  Complete  returns  show 
477  banks  of  all  kinds  in  California  on  May  29,  1905,  an  increase  of  62 
per  cent  in  five  years,  with  an  increase  of  67  per  cent  in  resources  and 
deposits.  Other  states  in  the  Congress  have  done  equally  well. 

One  thing  that  distinguishes  this  part  of  the  country  from  that  east 
of  the  Mississippi  is  the  product  of  the  precious  metals.  It  is  fortunate 
for  the  development  of  the  Atlantic  coast  states  that  the  pilgrim  fathers 
landed  there  instead  of  on  this  coast.  Otherwise  the  attractions  here 
would  have  retarded  settlements  there.  It  was  ordained  that  the  treasure 
vaults  of  the  United  States  should  be  located  in  the  western  end  of 
the  country,  and  further,  that  they  should  not  be  discovered  until  the 
beginning  of  the  last  half  of  the  last  century.  From  the  opening  of  the 
mint  in  1792  to  January  1,  1848,  the  total  gold  and  silver  product  reported 
by  the  mint  authorities  was  less  than  $25,000,000.  The  population  of  the 
country  at  that  time  was  about  20,000,000,  which  made  the  money  supply 
equal  to  $1.25  per  capita.  That  was  a  small  amount  of  metallic  money 


76  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

with  which  to  transact  business,  but  it  was  all  there  was  in  sight  .at  that 
time,  and  there  was  nothing  to  show  that  the  next  fifty  years  would 
increase  the  supply  in  any  greater  ratio. 

At  this  critical  juncture  the  west  came  to  the  relief  of  the  east. 
Gold  was  discovered  in  California  in  1848,  and  twelve  years  later  in 
Nevada,  Utah,  Idaho,  Colorado  and  Montana;  and  still  later  in  other 
adjacent  states  and  territories.  These  sources  of  supply  have  added 
materially  to  the  world's  stock  ever  since.  The  total  amount  of  Ameri- 
can gold  and  silver  produced  to  the  close  of  1904,  in  round  numbers,  is 
$4,700,000,000,  nearly  all  of  which  has  been  extracted  from  the  territory 
covered  by  this  Congress.  This  immense  amount  of  recognized  wealth 
has  not  only  been  of  great  advantage  to  the  United  States  in  a  high 
credit  standard,  but  of  much  value  to  the  whole  world  in  producing  a  sub- 
stantial metallic  basis  for  the  paper  money  in  such  general  circulation. 
Instead  of  a  metallic  money  supply  of  $1.25  per  capita,  as  in  1848,  as 
based  on  a  population  of  20,000,000,  the  per  capita  has  been  advanced  to 
$24.42  on  a  population  of  83,259,000.  The  best  part  of  this  story  lies  in 
the  fact  that  this  precious1  metal  supply  is  still  flowing,  and  for  aught  that 
is  known  to  the  contrary  will  continue  to  flow  for  years  to  come,  and  all 
are  invited  to  help  maintain  and  increase  the  gold  and  silver  streams. 

I  must  not  omit  a  brief  reference  to  the  salmon  fisheries  for  which 
this  coast  is  so  distinguished.  The  Hume  brothers  started  this  industry 
on  the  Sacramento  river  in  1864,  and  two  years  later  began  operations 
along  the  same  line  on  the  Columbia  River  with  a  pack  of  4,000  cases, 
which  pack  was  steadily  increased  from  year  to  year  until  1884,  when  it 
reached  656,000  cases,  the  record  total  on  that  river.  Geo.  W.  Hume, 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  this  trade,  is  a  daily  visitor  at  the  Merchants' 
Exchange,  San  Francisco,  though  not  as  robust  as  when  pulling  a  boat 
in  the  Sacramento  river  over  forty  years  ago.  Canneries  on  the  Alaskan 
coast  which  started  with  36,000  cases  in  1883,  packed  over  5,000,000 
cases  in  1901,  the  best  total  on  record.  Excluding  British  Columbia,  the 
total  coast  pack  of  salmon  to  the  close  of  1904  was  44,237,000  cases, 
which  at  an  average  of  $5.00  per  case  means  $221,185,000.  This  represents 
only  the  value  of  the  canned  salmon  produced.  .  Of  this  total  pack,  the 
Columbia  River  is  credited  with  14,807,484  cases,  and  Alaskan  waters 
with  19,698,407  cases.  Please  note  that  this  single  Alaskan  industry  has 
produced  $100,000,000  in  the  la<st  twenty  years,  while  the  United  States 
paid  only  $7,000,000  for  the  whole  of  that  territory.  We  could  well  afford 
to  buy  up  the  whole  world  on  the  same  basis. 

The  Trans-Mississippi  district  has  other  characteristics  of  interest. 

It  embraces  the  largest  state  in  the  Union — Texas — with  its  262,290 
square  miles.  The  same  state  is  also  the  largest  cotton  producer. 

Louisiana  is  one  of  the  largest  producers  of  rice  and  cane  sugar. 

The  largest  earth  oil  producers  are  no  longer  Pennsylvania  and 
Ohio,  as  was  the  case  only  a  few  years  ago,  but  California  and  Texas,  the 
former  heading  the  list,  with  the  latter  a1  good  second.  The  development 
of  this  industry  in  the  west  has  astonished  the  whole  country.  California 
was  in  the  business  ten  years  ago,  producing  706,000  barrels  in  1894,  while 
the  product  last  year  was  29,649,434  barrels,  nearly  25  per  cent  of  the 
total  product  of  the  whole  country.  Texas  and  Louisiana  were  non-pro- 
ducers of  oil  ten  years  ago,  but  last  year  Texas  was  credited  with  a  pro- 
duct of  22,241,413  barrels  and  Louisiana  with  6,611,419  barrels.  Even  In- 
diana produced  more  oil  last  year  than  Pennsylvania, 
more  oil  last  year  than  Pennsylvania. 

California  has  often  been  held  up  as  one  of  the  most  unique  states 
in  the  Union,  and  the  citizens  of  that  state  are  naturally  proud  of  her 
position.  She  has  become  noted  for  the  abundance  and  variety  of  her 
fruits,  deciduous  and  citrus.  She  has  something  of  a  monopoly  in  several 
products,  such  as  prunes,  grapes,  raisins,  nuts,  olive  oil,  wine  and  quick- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  77 

silver.  She  claims  the  only  redwood  forest  of  the  world.  She  is  the 
originator  of  the  beet  sugar  industry,  which  has  assumed  such  a  promi- 
nent place.  Eastern  malsters  depend  largely  on  the  Pacific  states  for 
their  barley  and  hops.  The  same  section  abounds  in  timber,  coal  and 
other  mineral  products  of  every  variety  known  to  commerce.  The  west 
furnishes  the  finest  and  fattest  cattle,  and  the  fleetest  and  strongest 
horses. 

We  have  the  longest,  broadest  and  most  fertile  valleys,  and  the 
highest  mountains,  ranging  from  12,000  to  18,000  feet,  many  of  them 
perpetually  snow  capped.  There  is  unsurpassed  scenery  in  great  profu- 
sion, including  the  Yosemite  in  California,  the  Grand  Canon  in  Arizona, 
and  the  Yellowstone  Park  in  Wyoming.  As  to  climate,  there  is  no  end  to 
the  variety,  and  if  any  one  section  does  not  suit  the  particular  physical 
conditions  of  the  individual,  a  few  hours  ride  in  most  any  direction  will 
effect  a  complete  change. 

A  word  about  the  people  who  inhabit  this  wonderful  section  of  the 
world.  They  are  of  all  sorts  and  colors,  good,  bad  and  indifferent. 
Among  the  predominating  class,  will  be  found  some  of  the  bravest  men, 
some  of  the  fairest  women  and  some  of  the  brightest  children  to  be 
seen  anywhere  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  There  is  health  and  long  life 
in  the  west;  there  is  wealth  developed  and  undeveloped  in  the  west.  As  a 
final  word,  "The  west  the  best." 

Whereupon  the  Congress  adjourned  until  9  :30  a.  m. 


78  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 


THIRD  DAY 

AUDITORIUM,  LEWIS  AND   CLARK   EXPOSITION   GROUNDS, 

August  18,  1905,  9  :30  A.  M. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  by  Vice  President  Prince  of 
New  Mexico. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Resolutions  are  in  order.  There  seem  to 
be  no  resolutions  ready  to  be  offered.  Reports  of  committees. 
Are  there  any  committees  to  report?  Is  there  any  miscellaneous 
business  to  be  brought  before  the  Congress  this  morning  before  we 
take  up  the  regular  order  of  business? 

The  Chair  may  state  informally  that  the  Committee  on  Reso- 
lutions has  agreed  on  a  resolution  in  favor  of  a  formation  of  a  de- 
partment of  mines  and  mining.  The  resolution  is  not  yet  presented 
to  us  for  action,  but  probably  will  be  very  soon  when  the  com- 
mittee, which  is  now  in  session,  adjourns.  Meanwhile  Hon.  J.  H. 
Richards  of  Boise,  who  is  the  president  of  the  American  Mining 
Congress,  is  present  with  us  by  invitation,  and  will  speak  on  that 
subject.  I  have  great  pleasure  in  introducing  Judge  Richards  of 
Boise,  Idaho.  (Applause.) 

JUDGE  RICHARDS: 

ADDRESS   OF  HON.   J.   H.   RICHARDS   ON   "DEPARTMENT  OF 

MINES." 

My  Friends — I  am  fully  aware  of  how  much  reading  an  address  of  this 
character  detracts  from  its  free  delivery;  but  owing  to  my  peculiar  rela- 
tions to  the  American  Mining  Congress  and  its  deep  interest  in  this 
great  question,  it  was  thought  best  that  nothing  be  said  upon  this  topic 
that  was  not  the  result  of  deliberation,  in  the  hope  that  the  paper  which 
I  purposed  to  read  to  you  may  be  worthy  of  careful  reading  hereafter, 
and  be  of  some  assistance  in  helping  to  secure  us  a  federal  department  of 
mining.  Therefore,  I  will  read  to  you  a  few  suggestions  on  this  topic 
which  I  have  prepared  for  your  consideration. 

To  the  .Members  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress — Gen- 
tlemen—  Should  congress  create  a  department  of  mires  or  mining  co- 
ordinate with  the  department  of  agriculture?  All  will  agree 
that  if  such  a  department  is  necessary  to  enable  our  government  to  meet 
the  full  measure  of  its  responsibility  to  the  American  people,  then  such 
a  department  should  be  created,  otherwise  not. 

In  presenting  my  views  on  this  important  topic,  it  is  not  a  question 
with  me  as  to  what  we  owe  to  mining,  but  rather  what  does  our  govern- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  79 

ment  owe  to  the  American  people,  not  merely  in  restraining  them  from 
injuring  one  another,  but  in  aiding  them  to  help  one  another  by  a  har- 
monious positive,  rather  than  a  discordant  negative  course.  "Harmony  is 
the  strength  and  support  of  all  institutions,"  and  this  is  especially  true 
in  the  development  and  utilization  of  America's  marvelous  natural 
resources,  in  an  effort  to  bring  out  the  enduring  qualities  of  the  citizen, 
capacity  to  achieve  through  the  exercise  of  his  higher  qualities,  and  thus 
enjoy.  Our  government  is  but  an  instrument  to  this  end.  This  being 
true,  how  can  our  government  best  equip  itself  to  meet  the  full  measure 
of  this  responsibility? 

To  be  sure  of  our  premise  let  us  digress  for  a  moment.  What  is 
the  purpose  of  our  government  as  an  instrument  for  our  upbuilding? 
President  Jefferson  seemed  to  sum  up  his  idea  jas  to  the  purpose  of  our 
government  in  his  first  inaugural  address  in  these  words:  "A  wise  and 
frugal  government,  which  shall  restrain  men  from  injuring  one  another 
and  leave  them  otherwise  free."  It  was  evident  to  him  that  the  nations 
of  the  past  had  declined  and  disappeared  by  reason  of  "man's  inhu- 
manity to  man,"  hence  men  should  be  restrained  from  injuring  one 
another,  and  leave  them  otherwise  free.  This  statement  is  great  in  its 
comprehensiveness  as  a  political  idea  in  the  then  condition  of  political 
thought. 

But  as  we  see  the  American  people  today  and  their  possible  destiny, 
does  this  idea  of  the  purpose  of  our  government  meet  their  ever  expand- 
ing needs?  We  live  in  a  glorious  age,  on  a  wonderful  continent,  and  in 
a  splendid  country.  The  natural  resources  of  the  country  are  marvelous 
and  beyond  the  comprehension  of  the  human  intellect.  A  generous  land 
begets  large  men,  comprehensive  in  conception,  generous  in  execution: 
"Tall  men,  sun-crowned,  who  live  above  the  fog"  of  human  littleness,  men 
whose  enduring  fame  rests  not  in  granite,  but  in  human  hearts,  fixed 
there  by  the  cement  of  gratitude  for  benefits  received. 

Nature  was  in  a  generous  mood  when  this  continent  was  formed 
and  our  great  mountains  first  echoed  to  each  other:  The  Being  who  pre- 
pared these  plains  and  valleys  for  our  habitation  filled  nature's  store- 
houses with  minerals,  and  formed  our  shore  lines  for  commerce,  had  in 
contemplation  a  generous  people,  and  it  calls  for  a  generous  heart  to 
interpret  what  they  reveal.  Only  courageous  and  comprehensive  intel- 
lects can  enter  into  the  most  effective  co-operation  with  our  soil,  rivers, 
mountains  and  old  ocean's  vast  domain  and  entice  from  them  the  ever- 
widening  stream  of  material  wealth  that  must  flow  from  an  intelligent 
development  and  use  of  their  combined  resources;  a  wealth  of  ample 
proportions  to  sustain  untold  millions  in  a  condition  of  highest  growth 
and  happiness.  There  is  a  waiting  people  in  this  land,  possessing  the 
capacity  to  comprehend,  the  genius  to  plan,  the  wisdom  to  direct,  the 
spirit  to  undertake  and  the  forcte  to  achieve,  an  evolution,  through  a  wise 
use  of  these  resources,  worthy  of  our  opportunities. 

"We  are  strong  backed,  brown-handed,  upright  as  our  pines. 
By  the  scale  of  a  hemisphere,  we  will  shape  our  designs." 

Great  questions  for  solution  will  confront  us,  financial,  industrial, 
commercial,  political  and  international,  but  we  have  the  genius  to  wisely 
solve  them  if  we  but  equip  ourselves  for  the  contest. 

Keeping  in  view  the  ultimate  purpose  of  our  government  and  devel- 
opment, the  evolution  of  great  human  characters,  our  material  wealth 
is  but  a  means  to  an  end.  It  is  nothing  in  itself,  except  to  the  extent 
that  it  aids  the  American  citizen  to  grow  into  the  full  stature  of  a 
perfect  man. 

This  being  true,  the  American  people  must  ever  achieve  their 
greatest  and  most  lasting  victories  in  peace,  and  not  in  war.  It  must  ever 


80  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

be  the  hope  of  the  American  people  that  the  time  will  come  when  we  will 
not  need  to  "learn  war  any  more."  While  an  army  and  navy  are  neces- 
sary, owing  to  the  condition  of  human  thought  throughout  the  world, 
still  in  America  they  should  be  used  to  promote  American  industry  and 
preserve  that  which  American  industry  creates;  hence  industry,  and  not 
war,  must  ever  be  the  foundation  of  America's  increasing  greatness. 

The  empires  of  the  past  have  declined  and  fallen  because  of  man's 
inhumanity  to  man.  If  our  government  is  to  live  on  through  the  ages 
ever  increasing  and  strengthening,  it  will  be  due  to  man's  humanity  to 
man,  brought  about  by  proper  restraint  upon  the  ill  disposed  and  encour- 
agement to  the  well  disposed. 

While  governments  in  the  past  may  have  largely  meant  to  rule  by 
enacting  and  enforcing  laws,  suppressing  vice,  or  "restraining  men  from 
injuring  one  another,"  governments  in  the  future  must  go  one  step  fur- 
ther and  lend  encouragement  to  the  industrious  and  well  disposed. 
Government  must  cease  being  merely  a  negative,  but  must  become  a 
positive  force  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  citizen;  it  must  not  only  include 
within  its  activities  the  political,  as  that  term  is  generally  understood, 
but  must  also  include  the  industrial  welfare  of  the  people  as  well.  It 
was  President  Jefferson  who  said:  "Now  that  we  have  no  negatives  of 
councils,  governors  and  kings  to  restrain  us  from  doing  right,  then  our 
legislation  should  be  corrected  in  all  its  parts  with  a  single  eye  to 
reason,  and  for  the  good  of  those  for  whose  government  it  was  framed." 

If  the  American  people  are  to  become  worthy  of  their  opportuni- 
ties, it  will  be  through  the  wise  use  of  our  agricultural,  mining,  manu- 
facturing and  transportation  opportunities. 

Can  our  government  aid  the  citizen  in  these  great  fundamental 
departments  of  human  industry?  If  so,  how  can  it  best  render  wise  assist- 
ance? Can  it  be  best  done  as  Jefferson  said,  by  simply  "restraining  men 
from  injuring  one  another,"  or  can  it  best  do  so  by  also  encouraging 
men  to  benefit  one  another?  Is  it  not  just  as  essential  to  our  highest 
upbuilding,  that  the  government  be  just  as  active  in  encouraging  men 
to  benefit  one  another  as  in  restraining  men  from  injuring  one  another? 
Has  not  the  time  arrived  in  the  development  of  the  human  race,  when 
it  is  just  as  necessary  to  encourage  our  constructive  forces  as  to  restrain 
our  destructive  elements?  If  so,  can  the  government  assist  in  this  work, 
and  if  so,  how  can  it  best  be  done? 

There  are  at  least  four  great  departments  in  this  industrial  develop- 
ment of  our  country's  resources,  viz.:  Agriculture,  mining,  manufactur- 
ing and  transportation,  that  should  be  united  in  purpose  from  a  govern- 
mental standpoint.  With  these  departments  harmonized  by  wise  direc- 
tion, not  by  restraining  evil  tendencies  merely,  but  also  by  encouraging 
and  aiding  good  tendencies,  there  seems  to  be  no  limitation  to  America's 
capacity  to  achieve  and  her  people  to  enjoy. 

The  following  suggestions  in  this  connection  may  throw  light  upon 
the  question  under  consideration. 

This  nation,  to  bring  out  the  best  in  the  American  citizen,  must 
give  him  an  opportunity  to  acquire  and  understand  the  meaning  of  real 
liberty,  by  a  good  use  of  his  faculties.  By  good  use  I  mean  bringing  to 
such  citizen  better  conditions.  No  one  so  well  knows  the  pleasure  of 
muscular  strength  as  the  man  who  has  acquired  such  strength  by  wise 
use  of  his  muscles.  No  one  knows  the  delight  experienced  through  the 
possession  of  great  mental  powers,  except  the  man  who  has  liberated 
his  mental  faculties  through  a  wise  use  of  them.  Can  our  government 
aid  in  opening  America  to  the  citizen  for  thus  liberating  his  faculties,  by 
giving  a  wise  direction  to  industrial  tendencies?  We  have  the  raw  mate- 
rial and  we  are  confronted  with  the  wants  of  humanity.  Can  our  govern- 
ment aid  the  citizen  in.  converting  this  raw  material  into  forms  suitable 
to  human  needs  and  transporting  to  place  needed?  If  it  can,  then  it 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  81 

should.  This  involves  aigriculture,  mining,  manufacturing  and  trans- 
portation, and  commerce  results.  To  meet  the  demands  of  commerce,  it 
may  be  well  to  consider  the  following: 

1.  The  warfare  we  must  meet  in  the  future  to  accomplish  our  pur- 
pose, is  an  industrial  warfare. 

2.  Our   ability  to   produce   cheaply,   abundance    of    raw    material, 
including  gold  and  silver  amd  all  forms  of  industrial  metals  for  the  man- 
ufacturer,  must   be   the   basis    of   our   nation's   future   greatness,   rather 
than  the  size  of  our  army. 

3.  Our  ability  to   produce   at  lowest  cost  that  which  will   supply 
human  wants,  yet  at  a  profit  to  us,  will  be  more  potent  in  our  upbuild- 
ing than  is  generally  thought.     This  is  true  because  a  government  for 
the  people  must  be  conducted  on  ai  business  rather  than  a  political  basis, 
as  the  term  political  has  been  understood  heretofore. 

In  many  nations  the  politician  tells  the  business  man  what  he  must 
do,  but  in  this  country  the  business  needs  of  our  country  should  guide 
the  politician.  In  other  words,  our  politics  should  T>e  adapted  to  the 
industrial  or  business  needs  of  the  people.  Necessity — that  is,  the  needs 
of  the  people — must  be  the  basis  of  our  legislation,  political  theories  and 
our  diplomacy.  This  means  honesty  in  all  things.  Those  in  authority 
are  but  the  agents,  who  through  governmental  organization  give  direc- 
tion to  our  business  methods,  restraining  here,  encouraging  there,  and 
assisting  everywhere. 

4.  Our    national    influence    in    securing   markets    for    our   products, 
will  be  extended  more  through  our  ability  to  supply  the  wants  of  human- 
ity, at  a  profit  to  us,  than  by  the  strength  of  our  navy,  necessary  as  our 
navy  is.     This  is  a  mere  matter  of  business.     There  is  no  halo  around 
it  other  than  the  halo  that  honesty  and  capacity  in   business  methods 
always  bring. 

5.  We  possess  the  natural  bounty,  from  agricultural,  mineral  and 
intellectual  standpoints,  which  are  the  raw  material  underlying  all.  But 
to  get  out  of  them  that  which  will  make  us  great  and  fit  us  to  enjoy,  our 
government  must  do  more  than  restrain  men  from  injuring  one  another. 
It  must  be  so  organized  and  equipped  as  to  help  them  help  one  another. 
The   government   should   be   a   positive   force   supporting   that   which   is 
best,  rather  than  a  negative  force,  simply  restraining  that  which  is  worst. 

6.  Under    the    American    idea,    the    business    of    our    government 
must  extend  beyond  raising  revenue,  equipping  armies,  wrangling  over 
boundaries  and  restraining  evil.     It  must  ransack  the  earth  to  find  any- 
thing new  that  will  benefit  agriculture  or  any  other  of  our  national  indus- 
tries.    It  must  aid  in  seeking  markets  for  American  products.     It  must 
assist  in   encouraging  scientific  methods  in   farming,  mining  and  other 
American  industries. 

7.  To  meet  the  full  measure  of  its  responsibilty  to  the  American 
people,  our  government  must  take  every  reasonable  step  to  equip  the 
people  to  triumph  in  this  industrial  contest.  How  can  this  best  be 
done?  is  the  question  of  the  hour. 

The  great  co-operative  tendency  in  our  industrial  undertakings  is 
one  of  "the  potent  forces  making  our  highest  industrial  development 
possible,  if  honestly  directed.  Honesty  applied  to  these  great  industrial 
ventures  would  render  this  co-operative  tendency  invincible. 

The  government  by  proper  departmental  equipment,  can  do  more 
to  bring  about  honesty  in  promoting  industrial  ventures  than  any  other 
force  known  to  this  enlightened  age.  Dishonesty  in  promoting  and 
manipulating  great  corporations  cover  more  ground  than  mining.  If 
publicity  is  the  remedy,  then  our  government  through  the  legislative 
and  executive  branches  can  create  and  apply  the  remedy. 

It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  to  dp  things,  and  do  them  in  a  manner 
that  will  count  for  the  future.  This  is  what  distinguishes  us  from  the 


82  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

savage,  who  keeps  his  attention  more  upon  the  present,  and  is  the 
crowning  element  of  civilization.  Therefore,  if  industry  is  to  be  our 
builder,  then  it  should  be  directed  in  a  manner  that  will  be  most  endur- 
ing because  most  scientific.  The  rivalry  of  nations  is  becoming  conspicu- 
ously an  industrial  rivalry.  Commerce  will  take  care  of  itself,  if  you 
will  produce  a  quality  wanted,  at  a  price  adapted,  transported  where 
needed.  Some  say  the  question  of  capital  enters  in.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion about  capital  where  promotion  and  management  rest  on  honesty. 
A  billion  dollars  could  be  secured  any  time  from  the  people,  for  any 
legitimate  undertaking  in  this  country,  if  assured  of  honesty  and  ability 
behind  it.  We  must  meet  international  competition  which  is  daily 
becoming  more  intense.  Modern  facilities  for  communication  are  bring- 
ing the  nations  so  closely  together  that  this  competition  to  produce 
and  transport  at  lowest  cost  will  tax  even  American  ingenuity,  courage 
and  enterprise.  The  use  the  European  governments  are  making  of  their 
highly  equipped  bureaucratic  organizations  in  industrial  fields  warns 
us  of  our  own  needs.  We  must  be  better  prepared  than  ever  before  to 
more  than  meet  the  influences  of  their  mighty  governmental  organiza- 
tions in  seeking  the  trade  of  the  world.  How  shall  we  do  this?  Simply 
by  equipping  our  government  to  more  effectively  direct  the  industrial 
energies  of  the  American  people  by  insisting  upon  honesty  in 
all  the  greater  enterprises  of  a  general  public  nature.  This  will 
stimulate  honesty  in  smaller  enterprises;  in  fact,  make  honesty  popular. 
Also  by  opening  new  avenues  for  industrial  enterprises  and  new  avenues 
for  sale  of  American  products,  and  by  making  it  possible  to  secure 
better  results  in  present  methods.  In  the  light  of  these  suggestions  I 
can  conceive  that  a  wonderful  uplift  can  be  given  to  American  industrial 
life  through  what  I  call  industrial  departments  of  our  government. 

Can  any  thoughtful  man  today  doubt  the  wisdom  of  creating  and 
the  usefulness  of  our  agricultural  department?  It  is  making  agricul- 
ture a  science.  It  is  making  agriculture  attractive.  It  is  making  it 
remunerative.  It  is  making  it  a  source  of  pleasure  to  the  progressive 
man.  It  is  lifting  it  out  of  the  condition  of  "the  man  with  the  hoe" 
toward  what  it  was  intended.  It  tends  to  place  it  on  a  basis  where  it 
should  be.  Could  we  do  without  our  department  of  agriculture  now, 
with  all  the  hope  it  gives?  No,  and  yet  it  is  just  in  its  infancy  of  use- 
fulness. 

I  have  not  so  much  to  say  in  favor  of  the  department  of  commerce 
and  labor,  because  I  do  not  feel  that  department  rests  on  the  true  basis 
of  a  department.  Commerce  is  a  result  rather  than  a  cause.  Labor 
can  best  be  served  through  avenues  of  production.  I  trust  I  may  be 
wrong  in  my  views  relating  to  this  department.  But  this  is  no  argu- 
ment against  a  department  founded  on  an  enduring  basis. 

I  believe  the  great  mining  industry  can  be  uplifted  and  the  Ameri- 
can people  thereby  blessed  by  a  mining  department  on  as  great  a  scale 
as  this  agricultural  department  which  has  so  blessed  our  country.  Min- 
ing furnishes  the  most  enduring  material  wealth  of  the  world.  It  takes 
from  none;  it  gives  to  all.  If  there  is  a  seeming  taking  from  investors 
without  giving  in  return,  it  is  not  due  so  much  to  mining  as  to  dis- 
honesty and  incapacity  of  those  representing  it.  Cecil  Rhodes,  one  of 
the  world's  great  miners,  says: 

"Mining  is  the  backbone  of  all  wealth  and  the  spinal  column  of  all 
certainty.  Of  course  you  can  lose  your  money  in  mining  if  you  put 
your  money  in  a  mine  that  is  worthless,  and  in  the  same  way  you  can 
lose  it  if  you  invest  it  in  a  store  that  contains  no  merchandise,  or  in  a 
bank  that  contains  no  money.  Investigate  your  mining  company  as 
you  would  any  other  business.  This  is  easily  done,  and  you  will  then 
make  no  mistake." 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  83 

The  United  States  produces  37  per  cent  of  the  world's  coal.  Coal 
made  England  great.  Coal  and  our  splendid  water  falls  will  make 
America  greater.  The  United  States  produces  39  per  cent  of  the  pig 
iron  of  the  world.  This  of  itself  possesses  the  element  of  national  great- 
ness. The  United  States  produces  51  per  cent  of  the  copper  of  the 
world.  This  in  its  ability  to  direct  currents  of  electric  force  gives  to 
the  "rock-ribbed  earth  a  nervous  system  and  makes  a  whispering  gal- 
lery of  the  world."  America  produces  30  per  cent  of  the  lead  of  the 
world,  57  per  cent  of  the  petroleum  of  the  earth  and  25  per  cent  of  the 
zinc,  and  the  mining  industry  of  this  country  produces  annually  over 
a  billion  dollars  in  value  and  52  per  cent  of  the  tonnage  of  our  trans- 
portation lines.  This  establishes  its  importance  to  the  American  people. 
This  justifies  us  in  inquiring  what  benefits  a  department  would  be  in  aid 
of  this  industry  that  the  people  may  reap  the  highest  reward  possible 
from  so  important  source  of  supply. 

While  I  shall  not  attempt  to  present  for  your  consideration  all  the 
benefits  such  a  department  would  be,  I  will  attempt  to  state  the  most 
important  benefits  as  they  appear  to  me. 

In  the  first  place,  why  have  a  department  rather  than  a  bureau? 
Because  my  conception  of  the  purpose  of  our  government  is  to  lay  an 
industrial  foundation  in  this  country  broad  enough  to  sustain  the  possi- 
ble development  of  the  combined  material  and  intellectual  possibilities 
of  this  most  favored  land.  This  cannot  be  done  by  the  red  tape  of  a 
bureau;  but  only  by  the  grasp  of  America's  greatest  statesman,  who 
alone  are  worthy  of  standing  at  the  head  of  so  great  an  opportunity. 
This  great  responsibility  should  be  presided  over  by  bn,e  possessing  origi- 
nal authority,  power  to  originate  through  suggestion  and  execution.  He 
must  not  be  limited  to  details,  but  to  creation  He  should  have  authority 
not  simply  to  go  in  ruts  as  bureaus  do,  but  to  make  a  rut  as  large  as  a 
river  and  let  bureaus  work  on  the  tributaries.  The  water  shed  of  this 
river  is  the  whole  world  and  the  tributaries  of  it  will  reach  into  all 
lands  as  well  as  into  all  conditions  of  American  society.  A  department 
of  this  character  is  a  big  thing  or  nothing. 

As  I  see  them,  the  following  are  some  of  the  important  benefits: 

A  department  of  mining  would  keep  the  executive  and  legislative 
branches  in  close  touch  with  the  wants  of  mining  and  allied  industries, 
that  a  proper  foundation  for  legislation  might  be  made  clear,  because 
all  legislation  should  be  the  child  of  necessity;  that  is,  the  wants  of  the 
people  and  that  the  political  department  might  know  the  scope  of 
national  and  international  questions  relating  thereto. 

A  department  would  create  a  co-operative  tendency  between  the 
people  and  the  government,  not  in  a  paternal  sense,  but  in  the  sense 
that  the  government  is  but  a  business  instrument  through  which  evils 
can  be  suppressed,  and  good  things  encouraged.  The  co-operation 
between  the  government  and  the  agricultural  department  illustrates  my 
idea. 

A  department  would  aid  in  avoiding  the  great  waste  now  so  appall- 
ing in  mining,  because  it  would  aid,  as  in.  agriculture,  by  wise  legisla- 
tion, scientific  information,  the  discouragement  of  illegitimate  promotion, 
the  encouragement  of  legitimate  mining,  and  giving  reliable  information 
to  the  people  of  the  real  worth  of  mining  to  them. 

A  department  would  aid  in  placing  mining  on  a  scientific  rather 
than  a  speculative  basis  as  now.  In  other  words,  it  would,  as  Cecil 
Rhodes  said,  "make  it  the  spinal  column  of  certainty."  This  would  more 
and  more  remove  mining  from  gambling  and  place  under  it  enduring 
principles  of  sound  business. 

A  department  would  not  alone  be  of  great  assistance  to  the  pros- 
pectors, miners  and  reducers  of  ores,  but  would  aid  in  harmonizing 
mining  and  allied  industries,  by  making  scientific  information  available 


84  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

to  those  who  most  need  it  for  their  own  protection,  and  through  such 
legislation  as  intelligent  experience  shows  to  be  in  the  interests  of 
those  who  are  not  in  a  position  to  insist  on  legislation  in  their  interests 
and  well  being. 

Mining  employs  a  large  proportion  of  the  American  people. 

A  department  would  aid  in  placing  mining  on  a  sound  legal  basis, 
a  basis  in  harmony  with  the  highest  development,  consistent  with  a 
just  protection  of  individual  rights,  and  in  harmony  with  all  the  varied 
branches  of  mining. 

A  department  would  aid  in  placing  mining  on  an  investment  rather 
than  a  speculative  basis.  Look  at  the  great  coal  and  iron  mines,  the 
great  Comstock,  Homestake,  Treadwell,  and  others  of  a  similar  char- 
acter. Why  are  not  such  properties  a  safe  and  profitable  investment 
if  honesty  and  capacity  vitalize  their  promotion  and  management? 

A  department  would  encourage  legitimate  mining  and  the  promo- 
tion of  the  same.  All  dishonesty  is  not  included  in  mining  propositions 
and  management,  but  mining  offers  a  great  field  for  such  methods 
because  of  the  great  profits  possible.  This  is  all  the  more  reason  why 
every  safeguard  within  reason  should  be  thrown  around  such  promotion 
and  management. 

A  department  would  discourage  illegitimate  mining  promotion 
and  management.  Would  this  be  in  the  interest  of  mining  and  the 
American  people?  If  so,  then  its  importance  is  conceded  and  our 
government  should  be  so  equipped  that  its  influence  could  be  felt  in 
this  regard. 

A  department  would  aid  in  harmonizing  all  branches  of  mining 
and  allied  occupations.  It  would  help  develop  a  scientific  system  of 
what  now  is  confusion  in  the  minds  of  the  American  people.  This 
makes  it  possible  for  illegitimate  fortunes  to  be  acquired  in  a  manner 
not  possible  in  any  other  calling  and  incomes  expanding  as  our  wants 
increase  by  tributes  unreasonable  and  undeserved. 

A  department  would  aid  in  giving  proper  recognition  to  the  future 
possibilities  of  Alaska,  one  of  the  greatest  storehouses  of  mineral 
wealth  now  known.  That  territory,  properly  guided  and  conserved, 
will  prove  one  of  the  greatest  bulwarks  of  this  country  in  its  hours  of 
trial  and  need.  It  is  of  interest  and  importance  to  the  American  people 
that  this  great  heritage  be  properly  fostered. 

Then,  taking  the  question  as  a  whole,  the  purpose  of  our  govern- 
ment, our  wonderful  mineral  resources,  the  ever-expanding  wants  of  the 
world  in  the  light  of  modern  civilization,  the  competition  we  must  meet, 
the  enduring  strength  scientific  industry  gives  to  a  people,  the  courage 
that  comes  from  enlightened  selfishness,  the  character  building  possible 
in  wresting  from  the  combined  resources  at  our  command,  the  wealth 
they  can  give,  and  the  statesmanship  resulting  from  guiding  so  great  a 
purpose — does  it  not  seem  necessary  to  have  such  department  that 
tangible  results  worthy  of  such  opportunities  may  be  realized,  espe- 
cially when  we  know  that  "to  protect  and  encourage  the  productive 
industries  of  the  people  is  the  highest  type  of  statesmanship  under  any 
form  of  government"?  If  so,  then  such  a  department  should  be  created, 
otherwise  not. 

It  is  known  by  all  who  pretend  to  keep  themselves  in  touch  with 
agricultural  conditions  in  this  country,  what  the  department  of  agri- 
culture has  done  for  this  industry,  how  it  has  enlarged  our  markets 
for  these  products,  diffused  essential  information  relating  to  crops,  soils 
and  tillage,  how  effectively  it  has  assisted  the  agriculturist  in  fighting  the 
pests  that  have  lessened  his  profits,  and  how  it  has  invested  agriculture 
with  a  new  dignity  and  importance  by  making  it  a  scientific  occupation. 
We  contend  this  department  has  demonstrated  the  necessity  of  such  a 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  85 

department  in  enabling  cfur  government  to  bring  to  the  American  peo- 
ple that  which  intelligence  alone  can  give. 

I  now  believe  as  firmly  as  I  believe  in  my  country  and  its  destiny, 
that  a  department  of  mining  would  bring  to  the  prospector,  the  fore- 
runner of  promise;  and  the  miner,  that  scientific  information  concerning 
mineral  formations,  the  character  of  various  ores  and  their  proper 
treatment,  to  convert  them  into  a  condition  of  usefulness,  that  would 
return  to  the  American  people  a  far  richer  legacy  than  the  department 
of  agriculture  is  bringing  and  will  bring  them.  This  co-operation  on 
the  part  of  our  government  may  give  prospectors  just  the  chance  in  life 
they  so  richly  deserve  and  which  may  be  vital  to  their  success  in  giving 
to  the  American  people  the  treasures  of  earth.  It  is  just  as  important 
to  the  American  people  that  our  government  prosecute  this  exhaustive 
geological  research  in  every  mining  district  that  will  make  the  work  of 
the  prospector  and  practical  miner  and  the  reducer  of  ores  easier, 
cheaper,  more  certain  and  more  remunerative  as  for  the  government  to 
ransack  the  earth  to  find  a  remedy  for  the  San  Jose  scale  in  fruit  trees, 
make  elaborate  experiments  in  the  cultivation  of  tea,  cotton,  grains  and 
grasses.  No  intelligent  man  can  doubt  the  beneficence  of  such  govern- 
mental work.  A  new  impetus  and  dignity  would  be  given  to  mining 
through  such  a  department,  the  wholesome  effect  of  which  would  stimu- 
late all  industry. 

Therefore,  to  my  mind,  the  creation  of  a  federal  department  of 
mining  by  congress,  rests  on  service  to  the  American  people  by  our 
government.  That  which  will  equip  our  government  to  wisely  direct 
the  industrial  life  of  the  American  people  in  harmony  with  the  funda- 
mental political  principles  underlying  our  national  existence  will  of 
necessity  energize  our  national  vitality,  encourage  legitimate  human 
endeavor,  discourage  our  one  great  internal  foe,  dishonesty  in  high 
places,  stimulate  individual  and  co-operative  industry,  inspire  us  with  a 
greater  unity  of  purpose  as  a  people,  strengthen  our  grasp  on  that 
which  is  best,  and  thereby  wrest  from  our  opportunities  the  enduring 
results  that  are  legitimately  possible.  This  department  would  enable 
the  people  of  this  country  to  clasp  with  a  friendly  hand  that  which  is 
the  backbone  of  America's  most  energizing  and  enduring  source  of 
material  wealth  and  the  spinal  column  of  our  industrial  life — mining. 
(Applause.) 

At  the  conclusion  of  Judge  Richards  written  address,  he  said: 

I  am  speaking  simply  for  myself,  not  for  the  American  Mining 
Congress;  I  would  not  want  any  mistake  or  lack  on  my  part  to  detract 
from  the  great  work  that  congress  has  in  view;  therefore,  I  am  not 
speaking  for  the  American  Mining  Congress,  but  for  myself,  because 
that  congress  does  not  want  to  be  held  responsible  for  any  lack  on  my 
part.  This  question,  so  far  as  I  can  discover,  has  not  been  discussed 
by  any  of  our  greatest  statesmen.  I  can  find  nothing  that  has  been 
written  on  the  subject,  nothing  in  the  Congressional  Record  that 
seems  to  throw  any  light  on  the  topic;  and  therefore  if  there  are  any 
shortcomings  in  the  few  suggestions  I  have  made  the  mining  congress 
should  not  be  held  responsible  for  it.  If  there  is  any  good  in  it,  I  am 
perfectly  willing  to  give  the  mining  congress  the  benefit  of  it.  When 
I  see  the  great  Pacific  country  bordering  upon  this  great  Father  of 
Waters,  and  realize  the  opportunities  we  have  in  this  inter-mountain 
region,  and  the  great  wealth  of  Alaska;  and  when  I  see  how  much  it 
needs  the  broadest  statesmenship  of  our  nation's  greatest  men  to  com- 
prehend it  all,  it  seems  to  me  there  should  be  placed  at  the  head  of 
this  great  industry  some  man  large  enough  to  comprehend  the  country's 
need  along  the  laws  of  mining,  because  of  the  enduring  wealth  which 


86  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

it  gives  to  the  world.  There  are  no  more  courageous  and  vigorous 
American  citizens  than  those  we  have  engaged  in  mining;  it  seems  to 
give  them  an  enduring  quality,  the  same  as  the  metal  which  they  bring 
from  the  bostom  of  the  earth.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  that  great 
source  of  the  world's  enduring  wealth  in  this  country  should  be  guided 
and  served  by  the  highest  statesmanship,  and  the  greatest  organization  it 
is  possible  for  this  nation  to  give  to  the  world.  We  have  the  statesmen, 
we  have  them,  we  have  the  opportunities  and  the  mineral  wealth  and 
the  whole  of  the  Orient  at  our  command;  and  there  will  be  yet  gliding 
across  the  bosom  of  this  great  deep  west  of  us,  a  commerce  such  as 
the  world  has  never  seen,  if  we  but  take  advantage  of  pur  present  oppor- 
tunities and  organize  this  government  to  meet  intelligently  and  gener- 
ously the  wants  of  humanity  of  that  great  world  which  is  just  opening  to 
a  new  civilization.  I  hope  that  a  resolution  will  be  passed  which  will 
express  the  confidence  of  this  Congress  in  this  question  of  a  department 
of  mines  and  mining,  and  which  will  express  it  strong  enough  to  be 
heard  in  the  halls  of  congress.  I  thank  you  for  your  attention.  (Great 
applause.) 

GEN.  ANDERSON  (Oregon)  :  Mr.  President,  will  it  be  in  order 
now  to  ask  the  speaker  a  few  questions  ? 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Yes,  that  is  in  order  after  every  address,  or 
remarks  are  in  order,  and  asking  of  questions  is  of  course  at  the 
option  of  the  speaker. 

JUDGE  RICHARDS:  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  I  can  answer 
all  questions,  but  I  will  be  glad  to  have  any  questions  asked,  and 
if  I  can  answer  them  I  will  gladly  do  so. 

GEN.  ANDERSON  :  I  would  like  to  ask  if  the  Mining  Congress 
has  any  plan  to  prevent  what  is  called  "The  crime  of  Amalga- 
mated," without  assuming  that  there  is  a  crime  of  Amalgamated, 
such  as  we  have  read  of  in  the  articles  by  Mr.  Lawson.  If  such  a 
thing  is  possible,  I  would  ask  the  honorable  gentleman  if  the  Min- 
ing Congress  has  any  method  to  propose  to  meet  that  condition  of 
the  big  fish  eating  the  little  fish ;  of  inside  syndicates  booming  or 
developing  stocks  to  the  detriment  of  the  small  investor. 

JUDGE  RICHARDS  :  I  would  answer  the  gentleman  in  this  way : 
That  the  board  of  directors  of  the  American  Mining  Congress  have 
discussed  that  very  carefully  at  many  meetings,  and  we  have  come 
to  the  unanimous  conclusion  that  there  is  no  force  in  this  country 
that  is  able  to  compete  with  the  one  suggested  by  the  gentleman, 
except  the  government  of  the  United  States;  outside  of  merely 
educating  the  public  to  a  higher  standard  of  business  methods.  As 
I  suggested  awhile  ago,  if  honesty  was  back  of  our  great  financiers 
in  high  places,  as  much  as  ability  is  behind  them,  there  is  no  nation, 
or  any  half  dozen  nations,  on  this  earth  that  could  compete  with 
this  country  in  its  industrial  development.  (Great  applause.) 
There  is  our  great  lack,  therefore ;  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  bring 
the  right  kind  of  pressure  upon  it,  or  an  organization  such  as  the 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  87 

great  government  of  the  United  States;  and  the  time  is  coming, 
if  it  is  not  already  here,  in  my  judgment,  when  that  government 
must  establish  the  fact  in  the  minds  of  the  American  people  that 
it  is  greater  than  any  corporation  it  ever  created.  (Great  applause.) 
That  about  covers  the  general  idea  of  the  matter,  I  think. 

MR.  LOVERAN  (California)  :  I  have  been  very  glad  to  hear  this 
discussion.  This  is  a  question  that  I  have  always  been  greatly 
interested  in,  for  the  reason  that  in  my  business  career  throughout 
the  United  States  I  have  found  an  influence  that  properly  put  in 
motion  could  create  a  power  beyond  anything  that  we  have  to  take 
care  of  all  these  little  disturbances  which  are  bound  to  arise  and  ruin 
the  business  interests  of  our  country.  I  mean  the  organization  of 
the  whole  business  interests  of  the  United  States  to  protect  and  take 
care  of  the  business  interests  of  all  concerned.  This  is  something 
I  have  never  heard  mentioned  anywhere,  but  as  I  see  it,  the  only 
way  out  of  the  difficulties  mentioned  is  the  organization  of  the  whole 
business  interests  of  the  country,  which  would  make  a  power  be- 
yond anything  we  have,  to  take  these  matters  in  hand  for  the  best 
interests  of  all  concerned.  We  have  a  great  railroad  trust,  which 
is  the  greatest  combination  in  the  world ;  we  have,  our  capital  trusts, 
our  newspaper  trusts,  labor  trusts,  and  all  those  propositions  with 
nothing  to  guide  or  regulate;  like  a  steam  sawmill,  if  we  turn  the 
steam  on  with  nothing  to  regulate  it,  what  can  we  expect?  As 
the  gentleman  says,  what  shall  that  power  be?  It  shall  be  the 
organization  of  the  whole  business  interests  of  the  United  States. 

DR.  GEORGE  P.  NEAL  (Iowa)  :  I  desire  to  offer  the  following 
resolution : 

DES  MOINES  MISSISSIPPI  DAM. 

WHEREAS,  The  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  has  from  the 
earliest  conception  of  the  idea,  and  has  at  every  meeting  of  this  body, 
lent  aid  and  comfort  to  the  evolution  of  the  project  of  the  proposed 
high  dam  across  the  Mississippi  river  to  develop  the  electrical  power  at 
the  foot  of  Des  Moines  rapids. 

WHEREAS,  An  enabling  act  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  same  has 
passed  both  houses  of  congress  and  has  been  signed  by  the  president  of 
the  United  States  (February  9,  1905). 

WHEREAS,  The  legislatures  of  many  states  representing  views  of  their 
constituents  have  passed  resolutions  favoring  it,  the  United  States 
army  engineers  having  fully  endorsed  it  as  ideal. 

WHEREAS,  The  proposed  dam  between  the  cities  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and 
Hamilton,  Illinois,  is  situated  in  the  geographical  center  of  the  middle 
west  and  within  the  commercial  center  of  the  railroad  and  river  freight 
traffic  of  the  United  States. 

WHEREAS,  The  proposed  dam  will  be  the  greatest  triumph  of  engineer- 
ing skill  and  the  water  power  the  greatest  of  the  kind,  except  the  com- 
bined works  at  Niagara.  The  dam  itself  will  be  the  greatest  in  the 
world,  except  the  system  built  by  the  British  in  the  Nile. 

WHEREAS,  The  said  dam  to  be  built  across  this  great  river,  which  with 
its  tributary  waters  the  most  fertile  lands  of  the  globe,  its  millions  of 


88  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

highly  enlightened  inhabitants  pay  for  the  early  construction,  in  order 
to  utilize  this  tremendous  power  which  at  a  minimum  estimate  is  60,000 
electrical  horse  power,  with  a  maximum  double  that  amount;  therefore, 
Be  it  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Congress  held  in  the  City 
of  Portland,  Oregon,  August  16,  1905,  that  all  fair  and  honorable  means 
be  taken  in  the  interest  of  the  early  construction  of  this  great  cheapener 
of  electrical  power. 

Resolved,  That  this  body  express  its  satisfaction  at  the  success  of  this 
measure  and  its  appreciation  of  the  broad-minded  policy  of  our  repre- 
sentatives in  congress  who  have  opened  up  a  wide  field  for  manufactur- 
ing; and  be  it 

Further  Resolved,  That  this  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress 
pledge  its  effort  to  enhance  this  great  interstate  improvement. 

HON.  CHARLES  L.  EARLY. 

HON.  HENRY  STONE. 

HON.  JOHN  L.  KAMRAR. 

HON.  C.  R.  CORNELIUS. 

HON.  LUKE  HUISKAMP. 

HON.  FRANK  B.  COLE. 

DR.  GEORGE  P.  NEAL. 

HON.  C.  F.  SAYLOR. 

HON.  E.  H.  HUNTER. 

HON.  JNO.  CLASSEN. 

HON.  A.  H.  GALE. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  resolution  will  be  referred  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Resolutions : 

GOVERNOR  CRITTENDEN  (Missouri)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  see  the 
time  has  arrived,  and  the  gentleman  also,  who  is  to  address  this 
audience,  the  president  of  the  greatest  exposition  the  world  has 
ever  seen,  Governor  Francis ;  and  if  it  is  in  order  I  move  now  that 
we  have  an  intermission  to  give  us  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Governor 
Francis  on  this  occasion.  I  know  there  are  a  number  of  people 
here  who  desire  to  hear  him.  I  have  heard  him  often,  on  all  occa- 
sions and  on  all  subjects,  and  I  have  never  been  disappointed  in 
anything  he  has  said.  I  make  the  motion  that  we  now  hear  Gov- 
nor  Francis. 

The  motion  is  seconded. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  No  motion  is  necessary.  The  Chair  was 
just  about  to  make  the  announcement  that  it  was  the  first  matter 
on  the  program  today,  but  Governor  Francis  was  not  present  at  the 
opening  of  the  session.  It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  make  the  an- 
nouncement to  the  Congress  that  Governor  Francis  is  now  with  us, 
one  whose  reputation  is  great  as  a  governor,  great  as  a  secretary, 
great  as  a  man  of  affairs,  and  whose  name  is  now  synonymous 
with  success  in  great  expositions.  (Applause.)  Governor  Francis 
needs  no  introduction  to  any  audience  anywhere  in  the  United  States. 
(Applause.) 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI  COMMERCIAL  CONGRESS.  89 

GOVERNOR  FRANCIS: 

ADDRESS  OF  HON  D.  R.  FRANCIS. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Members  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress — 
I  am  an  accredited  delegate  to  this  Congress  and  I  feel  honored  by 
being  so,  but  I  have  not  attended  its  sessions  because  I  was  endeavoring 
to  avoid  the  task  of  delivering  what  may  be  called  an  address.  I  have 
made  a  few  desultory  talks  during  the  past  year  or  so,  but  I  can't  say 
that  I  have  ever  read  a  paper  or  delivered  any  talks  that  might  be  digni- 
fied as  an  address.  I  am  glad  to  have  this  opportunity  to  appear  before 
this  representative  body  of  men  for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place, 
I  desire  on  behalf  of  the  universal  exposition  held  in  St.  Louis  in  1904 
to  thank  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  for.  what  it  con- 
tributed towards  bringing  about  that  exposition,  and  towards  that 
measure  of  success  with  which  it  is  credited.  I  well  remember  when 
the  meeting  of  this  Congress  was  held  in  Houston,  Texas,  I  journeyed 
uninterruptedly  from  New  York  City  to  Houston  in  order  to  appear 
before  the  Congress  to  enlist  its  aid  and  encouragement  toward  an 
international  exposition  which  we  were  then  planning  to  commemorate 
a  great  event  in  the  country's  history.  I  also  well  remember  attending 
the  meeting  of  this  Congress  at  Wichita,  and  upon  both  occasions  ring- 
ing resolutions  were  passed  by  the  men  representing  the  great  territory 
whose  acquisition  we  purposed  to  celebrate,  asking  congress  and  the 
general  government  to  recognize  this  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Louisiana 
territory,  and  asking  all  sections  of  this  country  to  participate  in  that 
exposition.  You  will  remember  that  a  period  of  five  or  six  years  elapsed 
between  the  time  that  this  celebration  was  spoken  of  and  the  holding 
of  the  exposition.  This  is  the  first  meeting  you  have  held  since  that 
exposition  terminated.  I  come  to  you  as  its  representative  to  render 
an  account  of  my  stewardship.  I  come  on  behalf  of  that  exposition  to 
thank  this  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  for  its  very  efficient 
aid  in  bringing  about  that  exposition,  which  has  gone  into  history.  I 
leave  it  for  others  not  connected  with  the  management  to  say  whether  it 
was  a  success,  to  say  whether  the  assembling  within  the  limits  of  the 
Louisiana  territory  in  this  Trans-Mississippi  country,  of  the  representa- 
tives of  all  the  states  and  territories  in  the  Union,  representatives  of 
every  civilized  country  on  the  globe,  of  the  installation  of  the  best 
products  of  the  human  brain  and  brawn,  as  to  whether  a  competition 
between  all  classes  of  men  and  all  sections  of  the  world  was  properly 
conducted  and  in  a  fit  manner  commemorated  one  of  the  greatest  events 
in  the  history  of  civilization;  I  mean  the  purchase  of  the  Louisiana  ter- 
ritory. That  exposition  has  ended,  and  its  gates  have  been  closed,  but 
the  effects  of  that  exposition,  its  far-reaching  influences  will  continue  to 
be  felt  for  a  generation  to  come. 

If  we  of  St.  Louis  expended,  as  we  did,  $10,000,000  without  expect- 
ing any  return  in  dollars  and  cents;  if  some  of  us  devoted  six  years  of 
effort  to  inaugurating  and  conducting  that  exposition  without  expecting 
or  receiving  any  commercial  return,  we  still  feel  that  we  have  been  more 
than  amply  compensated  for  all  of  our  expenditure  of  treasure  and  of 
effort. 

We  trust  the  country  cherishes  the  same  feeling  concerning  that 
universal  exposition.  I  know  of  no  event  in  this  or  any  other  country 
that  has  contributed  so  much  toward  the  promotion  of  universal  good 
feeling  of  all  races  and  all  nations  as  did  that  exposition  held  in  St. 
Louis  last  year.  I  believe  it  was  one  of  the  prime  causes,  if  not  the 
main  cause,  of  the  two  great  nations  of  the  world  who  are  now  engaged 
in  deadly  strife,  consenting  to  have  their  ambassadors  meet  in  this 
country  in  an  effort  to  negotiate  terms  of  peace.  (Great  applause.)  Within 


90  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

the  gates  of  that  exposition  was  held  an  international  peace  conference, 
where  all  the  great  nations  of  the  earth  were  represented.  The 
expression  of  good  feelings  there  made  removed  the  necessity  for  any 
bitterness  between  any  races  or  any  sections  of  the  earth.  Think  what 
it  means  to  have  assembled  within  the  limits  of  our  own  country  all  of 
the  highest  products  of  the  human  hand  and  human  brain!  All  over  this 
country  today — and  I  dare  say  the  same  state  of  affairs  exists  in  other 
countries — you  may  see  that  universal  exposition  alluded  to  in  the  sale  of 
products  of  all  the  factories  on  the  globe.  The  standards  of  interna- 
tional competition  were  fixed  at  that  exposition.  Those  standards  were 
continued  until  another  international  exposition  is  held.  There  will  be 
other  international  competitions,  but  I  think  it  will  be  a  long  time  before 
there  will  be  a  universal  international  competition.  By  universal  I 
mean  a  competition  in  the  products  of  every  line  of  human  endeavor. 
There  will  be  several  international  expositions,  in  electricity  or  education, 
or  machinery,  or  perhaps  in  agriculture,  but  in  my  judgment  it  will  be  a 
long  time  before  any  city  in  this  or  any  other  country  undertakes  to 
assemble  in  friendly  rivalry  all  of  the  peoples  of  the  earth  in  all  of  the 
lines  of  their  energy  and  enterprise.  I  doubt  whether  such  another 
effort  would  be  commendable,  whether  the  game  would  be  worth  the 
candle. 

The  advantage  of  an  exposition  where  you  can,  without  wearing 
yourself  out,  see  all  of  its  beauties,  is  fitly  illustrated  in  Portland.  No 
exposition  of  any  size  ever  had  a  more  beautiful  setting  than  this,  and 
no  visitor  from  wherever  he  may  hail  can  view  the  exhibits  in  this  expo- 
sition without  being  interested  and  edified.  I  have  talked  of  expositions 
so  much  that  I  think  many  of  you,  if  not  all,  must  have  heard  me  from 
time  to  time  give  expression  to  these  thoughts. 

I  wish,  without  trespassing  upon  the  time  of  this  Congress,  to  say 
a  few  words  upon  other  subjects.  I  desire  to  commend  the  spirit  and 
the  motive  which  brings  annually  together  representative  men  from  dif- 
ferent sections  of  this  country  to  exchange  views  upon  questions  that 
agitate  the  public  mind,  and  which  are  dear  to  the  hearts  and  interests 
of  the  people  whom  they  represent.  You  do  not  come  here  for  the 
purpose  of  promoting  personal  or  selfish  ends.  You  come  to  lay  before 
this  assemblage  of  representative  men  the  needs  of  your  section  of 
country.  You  come  without  any  hope  of  reward,  other  than  a  con- 
sciousness of  a  duty  well  performed.  It  has  been  said  that  such  Con- 
gresses as  this  should  not  be  confined  to  a  section  of  the  country.  That 
instead  of  being  Trans-Mississippi  in  name  and  membership,  this  Con- 
gress should  be  national.  There  are  national  congresses  of  this  charac- 
ter, and  they  are  not  without  their  effect.  It  is  eminently  proper  that 
this  great  section  of  country  in  which  we  live  should  occasionally  have 
such  an  assemblage  as  this  in  which  may  be  discussed  its  interests  as 
distinguished  from  the  interests  of  the  other  section  of  the  country,  and 
in  which  there  may  be  arranged  a  unity  of  action,  without  which  we  can 
accomplish  nothing,  and  without  which  in  the  present  existing  state  of 
affairs  our  interests  would  be  neglected  to  the  advantage  of  other  inter- 
ests of  this  country.  The  subjects  which  you  consider  are  numerous 
and  various.  I  have  sometimes  thought,  however,  that  the  influence  of 
this  Congress  might  be  greater  if  we  confined  our  attention  to  fewer 
subjects;  if,  instead  of  having  a  long  set  of  resolutions  giving  expression 
to  our  convictions  upon  various  local  matters,  we  confined  those  expres- 
sions to  two  or  three  subjects  in  which  we  are  deeply  interested,  and 
then  appoint  committees  to  go  to  congress  and  lay  before  that  body 
the  sentiment  of  the  west  concerning  those  subjects.  If  we  did  that, 
our  influence  perhaps  might  be  greater  and  our  work  more  effective. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  91 

To  you  people  of  the  Pacific  coast,  as  well  as  to  us  who  live  on  the 
banks  of  the  Father  of  Waters  and  its  great  tributaries,  there  is  no  sub- 
ject of  greater  importance  than  the  improvement  of  our  navigable  water- 
ways. (Great  applause.)  I  think  the  tendency  of  this  day  is  to  overlook 
the  importance  of  water  navigation.  There  has  been  such  rapid  improve- 
ment in  the  construction  of  railroads  and  their  operations  that  we  have 
been  inclined  to  feel  that  railroads  could  do  all  of  the  transporting  ot 
this  country  without  the  aid  of  our  rivers,  and  without  perhaps  the 
improvement  of  as  many  harbors  in  this  country  as  we  desire  to  see 
improved.  I  am  very  far  from  failing  to  give  credit  to  the  great  trans- 
portation lines  of  this  country  for  what  they  have  contributed  towards 
its  development  and  progress;  but  I  do  maintain  that  the  most  healthy 
regulation  of  these  great  railroads  are  the  navigable  streams  which 
come  into  competition  with  them.  I  believe,  and  I  have  said  it  time  and 
time  again,  during  the  past  twenty-five  years,  that  it  is  a  crime  for  the 
people  of  this  country  to  permit  the  Mississippi  river  to  be  unused  as 
an  artery  of  commerce  to  the  extent  that  it  has  been.  I  believe  if  that 
great  waterway  were  in  one  of  the  European  countries,  if  necessary  for 
its  use,  it  would  be  deepened  from  St.  Paul  to  its  mouth;  that,  if  neces- 
sary, there  would  be  a  continuous  levee  built  along  its  entire  length. 
They  are  building  great  canals  in  England  and  in  Germany,  where  there 
are  no  waterways,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  railroads  in  check,  and 
of  cheapening  modes  of  transportation.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
improvements  in  locomotives,  in  railroad  iron,  and  in  the  capacity  of  the 
cars,  will  enable  the  great  transportation  lines  of  the  country  to  carry 
freight  cheaper  by  rail  than  it  can  be  carried  by  water.  It  is  only  neces- 
sary, to  show  the  fallacy  of  that  reasoning,  to  call  the  attention  of  an 
audience  such  as  this  to  the  fact  that  in  the  case  of  the  Mississippi  river, 
for  instance,  there  is  a  great  waterway  provided  by  nature;  all  that  you 
have  to  do  is  to  keep  its  channel  so  under  control  that  a  depth  of  water 
will  be  maintained  sufficient  to  permit  the  navigation  of  the  stream  by 
barges  carrying  hundreds  of  tons  at  a  load.  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that 
such  a  waterway  as  that,  provided  and  maintained  by  nature,  cannot  per- 
form the  same  service  at  less  cost  than  the  railroad  that  parallels  it, 
which  costs  from  $40,000  to  $70,000  per  mile  to  construct,  and  which 
costs  50  to  60  per  cent  of  its  gross  earnings  to  operate  and  maintain, 
which  has  bonds  on  it  for  25  per  cent  more  than  it  costs,  and  stock  on 
which  earns  possible  dividends  for  as  much  as  all  of  the  bonds  com- 
bined? I  am  not  disposed  to  inveigh  against  the  railroad  interests  of 
the  country;  I  have  had  some  experience  as  a  railroad  man,  and  I  have 
railroad  interests  today;  but  I  believe  we  are  guilty  of  great  neglect  in 
the  Mississippi  valley  if  we  fail  to  utilize  the  Mississippi  river.  I  know 
that  you  people  on  the  Pacfic  coast  are  as  much  interested  in  the 
improvement  of  your  navigable  waters,  and  we,  by  uniting  with  you, 
might  be  able  to  impress  on  future  congresses  the  importance  of  improv- 
ing: these  navigable  streams.  (Applaus*.)  I  am  not  sectional  in  my 
conviction,  and  certainly  do  not  intend  to  be  in  any  of  my  public  utter- 
ances. At  the  same  time,  my  friends,  it  is  proper  that  we  of  this  Trans- 
Mississippi  country  should  meet  and  confer  from  time  to  time  as  to  our 
interests,  and  should  make  plans  to  be  carried  out  by  concerted  action. 
There  has  never  been  a  time  in  the  history  of  this  country  when  we 
had  greater  opportunities  than  we  have  today.  You  see  now,  being  held 
in  Chicago,  an  assemblage  similar  to  this,  whose  deliberations  resulted 
in  a  set  of  resolutions  which  will  be  heard  all  over  this  country.  That 
convention,  as  is  this,  was  non-partisan  in  character.  I  am  not  going  to 
speak  of  what  that  convention  did,  other  than  to  say  that  its  incentive 
was  the  conviction  upon  the  part  of  those  who  planned  it  that  there  was 
over-production  in  this  country;  that  we  are,  or  soon  will  be,  unable  to 
find  a  market  for  all  of  our  agricultural  and  manufactured  products.  It 


92  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

was  for  the  purpose  of  opening  up  new  channels  of  trade,  or  of  prevent- 
ing barriers  being  placed  in  our  present  channels  of  trade.  I  think  the 
effect  of  that  convention  will  be  widespread  and  wholesome,  but  in  what 
direction  lie  these  new  channels  of  trade  upon  which  the  great  producing 
interests  of  this  country  rely,  to  which  they  look  forward  with  such 
glowing  hope?  It  is  the  Orient.  They  expect  to  find  a  market  for  these 
surplus  products  across  the  country  which  we  inhabit  and  which  we  rep- 
resent here,  and  through  the  harbors  along  your  Pacifiic  coast.  The 
interest  that  the  people  of  this  country  feel  in  this  trade  is  demon- 
strated by  the  universal  interest  that  is  cherished  in  the  Panama  canal, 
which  forced  the  government  to  take  up  that  subject  and  make  an 
appropriation  ample  to  construct  that  canal.  That  may  bring  us  of  the 
Mississippi  river  closer  to  the  Pacific  coast.  I  hope  I  will  live  to  see  the 
day  when  ocean  steamers  will  be  loaded  in  St.  Louis  and  unloaded  here 
on  the  Pacific  coast  without  breaking  bulk  in  transit.  (Great  applause.) 
Gentlemen,  the  eastern  section  of  this  country  has  contributed  its  full 
share  toward  our  glory  and  prosperity,  and  it  has  had  its  due  share  of 
recognition  during  that  time  from  the  general  congress.  I  do  not  mean 
to  say  that  we  have  been  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water,  but  I  do 
mean  to  say  that  we  of  the  west,  and  of  this  Louisiana  territory,  have 
done  our  full  share  toward  contributing  to  the  glory  and  wealth  of  the 
United  States  (applause);  and  I  mean  to  say  that  we  are  entitled  to  full 
recognition  in  every  respect  from  the  federal  congress  and  treasury. 
These  waterways  that  are  navigable  should  be  improved;  these  harbors 
of  yours  should  be  deepened.  Appropriation  for  the  construction  of  the 
Panama  canal  was,  in  my  judgment,  a  wise  one,  and  I  am  sure  that  the 
efforts  now  being  made  by  the  President  in  the  White  House  to  construct 
that  canal  promptly  and  economically  will  be  carried  out  if  he  has  the 
ability  and  his  life  is  spared  to  do  it.  (Applause.)  God  hasten  the  time 
when  that  canal  will  be  completed.  That  will  be  a  waterway  which  will 
be  a  panacea  for  your  evils;  it  will  be  a  competition  between  the  rates 
that  prevail  between  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  the  Pacific  coast  and 
between  the  Mississippi  valley  and  the  Pacific  coast.  That  is  why  I  say 
that  canal  should  be  completed,  if  for  no  other  reason;  that  is  why  I 
say  that  the  Mississippi  river  should  be  improved,  if  for  no  other  reason; 
and  we  of  the  west  are  beginning  to  feel  our  independence  financially  as 
well  as  politically.  The  time  was  not  more  than  two  dec.ades  ago  when 
there  could  not  be  a  railroad  built  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  unless  we 
got  the  consent  of  the  New  York  financiers  and  had  them  furnish  the 
money  for  its  construction.  How  is  it  today?  I  can  speak  for  my  own 
section  of  country,  and  those  who  are  here  will  corroborate  my  state- 
ment, when  I  say  that  when  we  think  a  section  of  the  country  needs  a 
railroad  we  build  it;  we  do  not  go  to  New  York  and  ask  their  consent 
to  build  it.  (Applause.)  We  are  doing  what  we  consider  is  proper  to  be 
done  for  the  development  of  that  Mississippi  valley  and  we  are  sure  you 
on  the  Pacific  slope  are  doing  likewise  here.  If  you  can  encourage  us  as 
you  did  by  your  participation  in  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  of 
last  year,  you  promptly  avail  yourselves  of  the  opportunity  to  do  so.  If 
we  can  encourage  you  in  any  of  these  undertakings,  it  is  not  only  our 
duty  but  our  pleasure  to  extend  that  encouragement.  (Great  applause.) 
Now,  my  friends,  I  do  not  want  to  detain  you.  (Cries  of  "Go  on,  go 
on.")  I  came  here  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  this  exposition,  and  attend- 
ing the  sessions  of  this  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress;  but  I 
was  not  aware  until  I  arrived  in  the  city  that  I  had  been  appointed  a 
delegate.  I  should  not  have  waited,  however,  for  an  appointment  from 
any  source;  I  feel  at  home  in  any  assemblage  of  Trans-Mississippi  peo- 
ple, especially  in  this  Congress,  whose  sessions  I  have  attended  in  pre- 
ceding years.  I  trust  that  these  annual  assemblages  will  continue; 
that  every  year,  if  possible,  the  membership  of  the  Congress  will  become 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  93 

more  representative,  and  that  instead  of  having  a  series  9f  resolutions 
that  try  to  encompass  every  subject  with  which  the  attention  of  man  is 
occupied,  it  will  systematically  give  forceful  expression  to  its  views  from 
certain  subjects  which  are  of  vital  and  immediate  interest.  The  question 
of  irrigation  is  one  that  should  deeply  concern  all  the  people  of  this 
section  of  the  country,  and  we  of  St.  Louis  and  the  Mississippi  valley 
are  interested  in  it  because  there  are  great  sections  of  arid  land  tributary 
to  us  which  could  be  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose  if  irrigation  were 
extended  to  them. 

Another'  subject  which  I  see  has  interested  this  convention,  and 
one  which  very  properly  should  receive  from  you  some  expression,  is 
that  of  immigration.  You  of  the  Pacific  coast  have  had  that  problem 
to  consider  for  many  years  past..  It  has  been  solved  by  national  legisla- 
tion according  to  your  behests.  We  who  live  farther  east,  and  all  of 
the  people,  especially  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  are  beginning  to  realize 
that  this  question  is  one  they  must  consider  and  solve  anew.  When  we 
have  one  million  immigrants  landing  in  this  country  in  one  year  we 
must  look  to  the  character  of  that  immigration  if  we  would  preserve 
our  national  institutions.  (Great  applause.)  There  is  already  an  immi- 
gration law  that  prevents  the  admission  of  contract  labor;  that  extends, 
of  course,  to  the  Pacific  coast  as  to  all  borders  of  the  country.  Your 
laws  prohibiting  the  importation  and  immigration  of  Chinese  at  all  is  one 
to  which  we  of  the  east  have  not  given  very  close  attention,  because  we 
have  not  seen  the  effect  of  unrestricted  Chinese  immigration  as  you  were 
beginning  to  see  and  feel  it  when  the  Chinese  restriction  act  was  passed. 
Now,  I  want  to  say  this  from  my  limited  experience:  I  had  a  little  exper- 
ience with  China  during  the  St.  Louis  exposition.  China  gave  at  the 
universal  exposition  of  1904  the  first  official  representation  and  partici- 
pation that  it  ever  gave  to  any  exposition.  Feeling  grateful  to  this 
country  for  what  we  have  done  for  it  when  the  attempt  was  made  to 
dismember  the  Chinese  empire,  in  deference  to  our  representatives  who 
were  sent  to  the  emperor  and  empress  'dowager  of  China,  that  country 
made  liberal  appropriations  for  representation  at  the  universal  exposi- 
tion of  1904,  and  its  exhibit  there  was  of  the  most  interesting  character. 
Complaint,  however,  was  constantly  made  to  me  of  the  indignities  to 
which  the  Chinese  were  constantly  subjected  when  attempting  to  enter 
this  country  by  the  Pacific  coast.  That  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  the 
people  of  this  country  are  beginning  to  feel  that  this  Chinese  restriction 
is  too  restrictive.  (Applause.)  It  is  because  the  educated  people  who 
have  come  here  from  China,  tourists  and  visitors,  who  have  not  come 
with  any  intention  of  settling  in  this  country  or  abandoning  their  native 
land,  have  been  subjected  on  the  Pacific  coast  to  the  grossest  indignities. 
It  would  seem  that  the  people  who  have  had  the  enforcement  of  that 
law  have  attempted  to  make  it  odious  to  the  people  of  this  country  by 
the  manner,  in  which  they  have  enforced  it.  We  of  the  eastern  portion  of 
this  country  do  not  advocate  that  the  gates  be  thrown  open  upon  the 
west  to  the  unrestricted  importation  of  coolie  labor,  nor  of  any  other 
kind  of  labor.  We  are  desirous,  however,  as  you  are,  that  this  rich  field 
in  the  Orient  should  not  be  ignored  by  the  law  makers  of  our  country 
at  a  time  when  our  production  is  so  large  that  it  is  a  problem  to  find. mar- 
kets for  what  we  produce  in  excess  of  our  own  consumption.  At  the 
same  time,  I  would  be  untrue  to  my  feelings  and  utterances  if  I  failed 
to  make  this  additional  remark,  that  there  is  something  that  is  dearer 
to  us  and  of  greater  value  to  us  than  even  finding  a  market  for  our  sur- 
plus products  and  increasing  the  commerce  of  our  country,  and  that  is 
the  preservation  of  the  purity  of  our  citizenship  and  the  perpetuity  of 
our  republican  institutions.  (Great  applause.)  We  do  not  wish  to  per- 
mit the  coming  into  this  country  of  any  element  of  any  race  from  any 
country  on  the  globe  who  will  not  come  here  and  appreciate  our  institu- 


94  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

tions,  enter  into  the  spirit  of  American  citizenship,  and  entirely  divorce 
themselves  from  all  fealty  to  the  countries  whence  they  hail,  because  a 
temporary  advantage  to  us  is  one  that  we  should  not  appropriate  if  it  is 
going  to  result  in  a  limited  or  permanent  injury,  or  the  weakening  of  our 
republican  institutions. 

I  said  here  three  days  ago  when  replying  to  an  address  of  welcome 
from  the  president  of  this  beautiful  exposition,  that  one  of  the  best 
qualities  of  an  exposition,  one  of  the  greatest  benefits  it  bestows,  is 
inspiring  people  with  a  desire  for  knowledge.  I  can  see  a  change  in  the 
section  of  country  around  St.  Louis  between  three  years  ago  and  today. 
The  people  know  more  and  live  better;  they  have  a  greater  desire  for 
knowledge.  It  is  education,  which  is  the  very  foundation  or  corner- 
stone of  our  republican  institution;  we  want  the  people  who  come  here 
from  foreign  countries  to  be  imbued  with  the  same  spirit.  Education  is 
the  corner-stone  and  patriotism  the  foundation  of  this  Republic.  (Great 
applause.)  I  thank  you,  Mr.  President,  and  ladies  and  gentlemen,  for 
your  patient  hearing.  (Great  applause.) 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  ask  permission  to  submit  a 
resolution,  which  I  will  read  if  I  may  be  permitted : 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Certainly  you  may  read  it,  and  then  it  will 
be  referred  to  the  committee  under  the  rule. 

GENERAL  NOBLE  read  the  following  resolution: 

CONSULAR  SERVICE. 

Resolved,  That  while  this  Congress  recognizes  the  consideration  given 
and  the  improvements  made  in  the  consular  service,  it  still  urges  as  its 
judgment,  as  heretofore  often  expressed,  that  the  business  interests  of 
the  country  and  the  public  welfare  require  that  appointments  to  this 
service  should  be  based  on  experience,  ability,  character  and  loyalty, 
unbiased  by  political  considerations,  or  personal  favor. 

MR.  MAHER  (Oklahoma)  :  I  desire  to  offer  the  following 
resolution : 

OKLAHOMA  AND  INDIAN  TERRITORY. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Congress  that  the  people  resident 
in  the  domain  now  named  the  Territory  of  Oklahoma  and  the  Indian 
Territory,  upon  their  application  therefor,  are  entitled  to  admission  to 
the  Union  of  the  United  States  upon  an  equality  in  all  particulars  with 
any  other  of  the  states. 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  It  will  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions. 

TOM  RICHARDSON  (Oregon)  :  I  desire  to  have  permission  to 
forward  to  President  Roosevelt  a  telegram  of  congratulations  upon 
his  attitude  in  behalf  of  humanity  in  his  relations  with  Japan  and 
Russia. 

Permission  was  given.     The  message  follows: 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  95 

MESSAGE  TO   PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT. 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  President,  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I. — The  Trans-Mis- 
sissippi Commercial  Congress,  now  convened  in  sixteenth  annual  ses- 
sion, by  a  standing  vote  has  unanimously  commended  you  for  the  initia- 
tive which  you  have  taken  for  the  re^establishment  of  peace  between 
Japan  and  Russia,  and  earnestly  hopes  that  your  laudable  effort  will  be 
crowned  with  complete  success. 

THEODORE  B.  WILCOX,  President. 
ARTHUR  F.  FRANCIS,  Secretary. 

MR.  LOGGIE  (Oregon)  :  I  desire  to  offer  the  following  resolu- 
tion, Mr.  Chairman 

COOS   BAY   HARBOR. 

Resolved,  In  view  of  the  increasing  importance  of  the  country  tributary 
to  and  served  by  Coos  Bay,  this  Congress  would  most  earnestly  sug- 
gest to  the  federal  government  our  conviction  that  this  harbor  should 
be  improved  by  dredging  the  inner  harbor  channels  and  strengthening 
and  extending  the  jetties  at  entrance  to  the  bay.  Further,  as  the  govern- 
ment has  at  this  time  the  dredge  Chinook  lying  out  of  commission  at 
San  Francisco,  we  would  urgently  recommend  that  this  dredge  be  sent  to 
Coos  Bay  and  be  instructed  to  dredge  the  inner  channels  of  the  harbor. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  resolution  will  go  to  the  Committee 
on  Resolutions. 

MR.  LOGGIE:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  wish  to  read  a  brief  paper  on 
this  subject. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  You  will  be  allowed  but  three  minutes  under 
the  rule.  There  will  be  ample  opportunity  to  discuss  all  of  these 
resolutions  when  the  report  comes  in. 

MR.  LOGGIE  thereupon  submitted  the  following  paper,  a  por- 
tion only  of  which  he  read. 

Gentlemen — I  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  paper  pertaining  to  llie 
resources,  industries,  commerce  and  products  of  the  Coos  Bay  country. 
In  bringing  this  paper  before  the  Oregon  Development  League,  a  con- 
scientious and  earnest  endeavor  has  been  made  in  the  gathering  of 
facts  regarding  the  Coos  Bay  country  so  that  the  members  or  others 
who  have  access  to  the  league's  records  may,  if  they  wish,  follow  up 
such  things  in  this  paper  as  may  interest  them. 

Realizing  fully  the  vast  importance  of  providing  the  league  with 
only  such  information  as  will  bear  the  closest  scrutiny,  a  special  care 
has  been  given  in  this  paper  to  the  complete  elimination  of  all  state- 
ments tending,  ever  so  slightly,  to  extravagance,  the  real  tendency  being 
rather  to  slightly  underrate  them  than  to  overrate. 

All  facts  and  figures  given  are  from  sources  of  absolute,  final  and 
unimpeachable  authority  and  upon  those  honest  facts  North  Bend  and 
Coos  Bay  rests  its  case. 

In  using  the  term  "Coos  Bay  Country"  in  this  paper  it  may  be  indefi- 
nite to  a  great  many  delegates  to  this  league.  Its  meaning  may  be 
vague  to  them.  If  it  is,  let  us  get  a  large  wall  map  of  the  United 
States,  and  enclose  with  a  pencil  the  following  territory  in  a  heavy 


96  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

black  mark:  Beginning  at  Coos  Bay,  follow  the  coast  north  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Siuslaw  river,  thence  east  to  the  crest  of  the  Cascade 
mountains,  thence  south  to  the  California  line,  thence  west  to  the  coast, 
thence  to  Coos  Bay,  the  point  of  beginning. 

This  territory  that  is  enclosed  within  the  pencil  marking  is  the 
Coos  Bay  country. 

To  make  a  comparison  which  will  give  an  idea  as  to  its  area,  let 
us  this  time  enclose  the  following  territory  in  a  heavy  black  mark: 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

When  this  has  been  done,  let  us  step  back  far  enough  from  the  map 
till  the  eyes  focus  themselves  on  both  coasts,  and  we  will  observe  that 
both  territories  within  the  enclosed  pencil  marks  are  nearly  the  same  in 
area  with  the  Coos  Bay  country  the  larger,  so  much  so  that  to  give 
full  measurement  we  could  throw  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  but  to  get 
it  back  would  require  a  search  warrant  to  find  it.  By  again  looking  at 
the  map  we  will  also  notice  that  the  two  pencil  markings  which  enclose 
these  respective  territories  lie  in  the  same  latitude,  which,  if  we  look  at 
a  map  of  the  globe,  we  find  is  the  great  business  belt  around  the  world, 
or  the  international  highway  of  traffic,  where  the  east  and  the  west  span 
the  shortest  possible  distance  in  exchanging  products.  Again  note 
another  comparison,  the  one  pencil  line  encloses  the  great  states  situated 
on  the  Atlantic,  with  a  coast  line  of  over  two  hundred  miles,  with  a 
score  of  seaport  cities,  while  the  other — the  Coos  Bay  country — here  on 
the  Pacific,  with  an  equal  mileage  of  coast  line,  has  but  a  single  deep 
water  harbor — Coos  Bay. 

But,  you  migh\ask:  "Why  take  a  map  and  put  a  pencil  line  around 
a  given  territory  in  Southwestern  Oregon  and  then  call  it  the  Coos  Bay 
country?  To  answer  that,  let  us  look  at  a  map  of  Oregon,  and  particu- 
larly the  southwestern  part  of  it,  and  if  we  follow  the  lines  that  mark 
the  river  courses  with  their  tributary  and  mountain  ranges  within  the 
boundaries  made  by  the  pencil  mark  we  will  be  forcibly  struck  by  the 
fact  that  the  Coos  Bay  harbor  is  approachable  from  every  productive 
section  by  a  down  grade  route.  From  all  points  within  the  pencil  lines 
it  is  easy  going  to  Coos  Bay.  This,  then,  makes  it  a  fact  of  tremendous 
significance.  The  law  of  nature  that  makes  water  run  down  hill  applies 
with  dominating  force  to  heavy  transportation  of  a  productive  country. 

Freight  traffic  will  follow  the  line  of  least  resistance.  It  will  take 
the  down  hill  track. 

With  this  principle  in  mind,  let  us  now  turn  to  a  topographical 
map  of  Southwestern  Oregon,  and  while  tracing  up  stream  from  Cops 
Bay  and  the  coast  on  each  side,  the  lines  of  water  courses  we  will  dis- 
cover the  ramifications  of  commercial  Coos  Bay. 

Thus  we  will  see  that  this  territory  is  marked  out  by  conditions 
of  nature  which  no  art  with  the  lead  pencil  can  change,  as  tributary  to 
the  common  center  of  Coos  Bay. 

Therefore,  we  are  justified  in  accepting  the  title  which  the  condi- 
tions of  nature  have  conferred,  "Coos  Bay  Country."  So,  therefore,  any 
and  all  efforts  to  direct  the  traffic  of  any  part  of  this  territory  into  other 
courses  and  other  centers  must  run  counter  to  the  law  of  gravity,  and 
while  for  a  time  they  may  appear  to  be  successful,  they  must  in  the  end, 
when  competition  presses,  fail.  Coos  Bay  being  the  place  accessible  to 
the  ships  of  commerce,  and  where  the  productions  of  the  vast  tributary 
country  can  be  most  easily  and  cheaply  massed,  makes  it  impossible  to 
divorce  the  interests  of  the  Coos  Bay  harbor  from  the  tributary  country. 
Or,  in  other  words,  the  business  and  commercial  interests  in  all  that 
country  which  by  the  laws  of  distance  and  grades  is  tributary  to  Coos 
Bay  harbor  should  co-operate  with  the  interests  on  the  bay  for  the 
improvement  and  betterment  of  the  Coos  Bay  bar  and  inner  harbor  while 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  97 

the  commercial  interests  on  the  bay  should  reciprocate  by  aiding  the 
interior  interests  with  transportation  facilities. 

Before  giving  data  pertaining  to  the  Coos  Bar  bar  and  harbor  or 
the  needs  of  railroad  facilities  to  the  harbor,  I  will  give  a  short  sum- 
mary of  the  great  timber,  mineral  and  agricultural  products  that  will 
eventually  pass  through  the  Coos  Bay  harbor  to  their  final  markets. 

In  the  reports  on  the  forests  of  the  United  States  prepared  by  the 
United  States  geological  survey,  under  the  direction  of  Professor  Henry 
Gannett,  it  will  be  found  that  the  total  standing  timber  in  the  United 
States  is  a  little  less  than  one  thousand  billion  feet,  B.  M.;  of  this  the 
report  states  that  the  state  of  Oregon  has  two  hundred  and  thirteen 
billion  three  hundred  and  ninety-eight  million  feet,  B.  M.,  or  a  little 
over  20  per  cent  of  the  standing  timber  of  the  United  States. 

And,  according  to  these  same  reports,  we  find  that  the  Coos  Bay 
country  has  standing  ninety-five  billion  feet,  B.  M.,  or  nearly  50  per  cent 
of  that  of  the  total  standing  timber  in  Oregon,  or  10  per  cent  of  the 
total  standing  timber  in  the  United  States  today. 

These  ninety-five  billion  feet  in  the  Coos  Bay  country,  if  with  the 
annual  increase  of  the  growth,  were  cut  at  the  rate  of  one  billion  feet  a 
year,  would  last  over  a  hundred  years.  If  this  vast  forest  of  timber  now 
standing  in  the  Coos  Bay  country  were  cut  into  lumber  and  sold  at  the 
present  market  price,  it  would  bring  the  enormous  sum  of  nine  hundred 
and  fifty  million  dollars,  or  50  per  cent  of  this  timber  were  to  be  shipped 
to  the  middle  and  eastern  states,  at  the  present  freight  rates,  the  trans- 
continental roads  would  get  over  seven  hundred  million  dollars  for 
hauling  it,  which  they  eventually  will. 

And  when  the  remainder  is  shipped  via  the  harbor  of  Coos  Bay — 
which  it  will — nearly  three  hundred  million  dollars  will  go  to  the  vessel 
owners  for  freight. 

Loggers  and  lumber  manufacturers  say  that  70  per  cent  of  the  price 
received  for  lumber  at  their  mills  goes  for  labor. 

So  if  the  Coos  Bay  country  cuts  a  billion  feet  a  year,  nearly  seven 
million  dollars  annually  will  go  to  pay  for  labor.  The  Coos  Bay  country 
forests  consist  of  fir,  white  and  red  cedar,  spruce,  hemlock,  larch,  yellow 
and  sugar  pine,  oak,  maple,  ash,  alder,  myrtle,  and  numerous  other  varie- 
ties. 

The  fir  of  the  Coos  Bay  country  is  known  as  the  Oregon  fir.  It 
has  no  equal  among  timbers  of  the  world  in  the  variety  of  uses  to 
which  it  can  be  put.  According  to  governmental  tests  it  is  stronger 
than  oak.  Tall,  straight  as  an  arrow,  without  a  limb  for  a  hundred  feet. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  fir  is  the  white  or  Port  Orford  cedar, 
growing  only  in  the  Coos  Bay  country;  it  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
species  found  on  the  coast.  It  is  tough,  durable,  fine  of  fiber,  making 
an  excellent  finishing  lumber,  and  can  be  used  for  so  many  purposes 
that  it  is  much  in  demand;  it  is  used  much  in  shipbuilding  for  finishing 
lumber,  and  brings  a  high  price. 

Red  cedar  grows  along  the  water  courses,  though  the  amount  is 
limited.  Spruce  grows  in  considerable  quantities;  is  also  a  valuable  tim- 
ber; it  also  makes  a  fine  finishing  lumber. 

Hemlock  is  found  growing  all  over  the  country,  scattered  at  inter- 
vals through  the  other  bodies  of  timber.  It  is  also  a  valuable  timber, 
there  being  absolutely  no  comparison  of  the  hemlock  of  the  coast  with 
the  hemlock  of  the  east,  so  far  as  their  relative  values  are  concerned. 
Sugar  pine  occupies  an  area  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  Coos  Bay 
country,  where  it  is  mixed  with  yellow  and  white  pine  and  fir. 

Incense  cedar  is  found  along  the  coast  in  considerable  quantities. 
Myrtle  is  one  of  the  finest  woods  that  grows.  It  is  very  hard,  fine 
grained  and  susceptible  of  very  high  polish.  For  fine  hard  wood  finish- 


98  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

ings  and  furniture,  it  cannot  be  excelled.  The  largest  stand  is  found 
near  Coos  Bay. 

Ash,  oak,  maple  and  alder  are  found  in  considerable  quantities  scat- 
tered all  over  the  country. 

As  regards  size  and  quality,  the  remarks  regarding  myrtle  will 
apply  to  maple. 

For  furniture,  flooring  and  inside  finish,  this  lumber  has  superior 
qualities. 

The  timber  of  the  Coos  Bay  country  can  be  cut  into  lumber  and  put 
on  the  high  seas  through  the  harbor  of  Coos  Bay  cheaper  than  can  be 
the  timber,  similarly  situated  near  any  other  harbor  on  the  Pacific  coast. 
This  is  admitted  by  Pacific  coast  lumbermen.  This,  then,  gives  the 
Coos  Bay  country  an  inalienable  advantage  in  the  lumber  markets  of  the 
world,  as  the  Pacific  lumber  is  sold  in  all  countries  on  the  globe. 

COAL    RESOURCES. 

Coos  Bay  is  the  only  fuel  harbor  south  of  Puget  Sound,  which  gives 
it  an  inalienable  advanaage  over  harbors  without  fuel.  Every  locomo- 
tive and  steamer  that  goes  out  of  Portland,  Eureka,  San  Francisco,  San 
Pedro  or  San  Diego  uses  coal  that  comes  from  Coos  Bay,  Puget  Sound, 
Wyoming  and  British  Columbia.  The  geological  map  of  the  United 
States  shows  vast  coal  fields  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  middle  and  east- 
ern states,  but  on  the  Pacific  coast  are  two  small  specks,  one  in  the  state 
of  Washington,  and  the  other  in  Oregon  around  Coos  Bay. 

The  accessible  area  of  the  Coos  Bay  coal  field  is  nearly  three  hun- 
dred square  miles,  with  an  available  gross  tonnage  of  over  a  billion  tons. 
If  this  were  to  be  mined  at  the  rate  of  one  million  tons  a  year  it  would 
take  a  thousand  years  to  exhaust  this  field. 

The  coal  fields  around  Coos  Bay  are  not  the  only  beds  in  that 
region. 

New  discoveries  have  been  made  at  several  other  places,  some  of 
which  are  high  grade  bituminous  coal,  adapted  for  domestic,  coking  and 
blacksmithing  purposes.  Some  of  these  beds  are  over  twenty-five  miles 
in  extent.  So  the  amount  of  wealth  contained  in  the  undeveloped  coal 
deposits  of  the  Coos  Bay  country  is  beyond  calculation.  The  tonnage 
and  value  of  these  deposits  will  simply  result  in  figures  that  cannot  be 
fully  grasped  or  realized. 

MINING. 

The  United  States  geological  reports  and  the  history  of  the  Coos 
Bay  country  shows  that  the  mineralized  portions  of  this  section  is  the 
richest  and  largest  in  the  state  of  Oregon. 

Gold  is  not  the  only  mineral  found  here — silver,  cinnabar,  lead,  nickel, 
copper,  platinum,  molybdenite,  aluminum,  asbestos,  gold,  coal,  iron, 
clays,  lime,  marble,  quarries  of  the  most  precious  stones,  such  as  jaspar, 
jade,  agate,  opal,  and  hundreds  of  others;  in  fact,  every  mineral  known 
to  commerce. 

The  United  States  mint  report  for  1904  states  that  nearly  80  per 
cent  of  the  gold  mined  in  the  state  of  Oregon  comes  from  the  Coos 
Bay  country. 

Today,  according  to  the  United  States  geological  survey  report,  of 
the  total  platinum  mined  in  the  United  States,  over  12  per  cent  comes 
from  the  mines  of  the  Coos  Bay  country. 

WATER  POWERS 

Outside  of  mining  and  lumbering  the  undeveloped  water  powers  of 
the  Coos  Bay  country  promises  more  wealth  to  the  investor  than  any 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  99 

other  industry  there.  No  country  can  boast  of  better  topography  in 
this  way  than  the  Coos  Bay  country.  From  east,  north  and  south  comes 
numerous  streams  bounding  down  from  almost  inaccessible  heights, 
ready  and  willing  to  do  the  work  of  the  power  plant. 

AGRICULTURAL. 

According  to  the  United  States  agricultural  statistics  and  the  numer- 
ous reports  published  by  the  Oregon  agricultural  college,  show  that  by 
comparing  with  other  localities,  the  agricultural  lands  of  the  Cops  Bay 
country  are  better,  stronger  and  more  fertile  and,  together  with  the 
climate,  makes  possible  a  range  of  agricultural  productions  embracing 
every  grain,  grass,  fruit  and  vegetable  known  to  the  temperate  zone. 

The  yield  is  much  heavier,  the  harvest  certain,  the  market  is  good. 
The  soil  of  the  Coos  Bay  country  is  rich;  it  has  all  the  necessary  chemi- 
cal ingredients  for  the  propagation  of  all  kinds  of  crops.  It  needs  no 
fertilization  and  is  practically  inexhaustible.  The  climate  enables  a 
man  to  work  outdoors  at  something  every  month  of  the  year.  There  is 
but  little  land  in  the  Coos  Bay  country  that  is  not  good  for  one  product 
or  another,  either  wheat,  hops,  fruit  and  vegetables,  berries  or  pasture. 
The  farmer  can  seed  all  the  fall  until  Christmas,  or  all  the  spring  until 
IVLay.  Harvest  is  continuous  just  as  long  as  the  grain  will  stand. 

There  is  room  in  the  Coos  Bay  country  for  over  twenty-five  thou- 
sand new  farms  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  each.  And  when 
improved  and  farmed  along  the  line  of  modern  methods  the  income 
that  will  be  derived  from  these  farms,  if  figured  at  only  one  thousand 
dollars  to  each  farm,  will  be  the  enormous  sum  of  twenty-five  million 
dollars  per  annum. 

CLIMATE. 

In  regards  to  our  climate,  (according  to  the  United  States  signal 
service  reports,  it  is  shown  that  the  observing  station  near  Coos  Bay 
has  the  most  equable  temperature  of  any  of  the  observing  stations  in 
the  United  States.  The  government  records  for  eighteen  years  show 
that  the  total  average  range  of  the  thermometer  during  the  year  near 
Coos  Bay  is  but  thirteen  degrees.  The  rainfall  varies  from  fifty  inches 
on  the  coast  to  about  twenty  inches  in  the  interior. 

Having  given  an  outline  of  the  Coos  Bay  country  and  her  resources, 
we  now  come  to  the  questions  relating  to  transportation.  The  capacity 
of  >a  railway  is  that  of  its  point  of  greatest  resistance;  that  is  heavy 
grade  and  curves.  The  Coos  Bay  country,  no  matter  from  whatever 
productive  point  it  may  come,  whatever  railroads  that  will  be  built,  will 
eventually  have  their  terminal  on  Coos  Bay,  for  the  reason  that  to  it 
the  grades  will  be  in  favor  of  the  traffic.  Therefore,  the  products  from 
the  forests,  mine  and  farm  in  the  Coos  Bay  country  while  going  to  their 
final  markets  can  be  more  economically  shipped  through  that  harbor 
then  via  any  other  seaport  on  the  Pacific  coast.  In  ocean  transporta- 
tion, the  tonnage  and  the  draft  of  the  vessel  is  always  regulated  by  the 
depth  of  water  over  the  outer  bar  at  the  harbor  entrance.  The  capacity 
of  the  vessel  regulates  the  freight  charges;  the  greater  the  tonnage  the 
less  the  freight  charges,  so  with  this  in  mind  it  stands  to  reason  that  for 
every  new  depth  made  on  the  outer  bar  of  the  Coos  Bay  harbor 
entrances  increases  the  value  of  every  product  in  the  country  tributary 
to  that  harbor  just  by  that  ratio,  whatever  the  deductions  the  vessel 
owner  makes  by  carrying  the  increased  tonnage  without  the  increase  of 
crew.  This,  then,  makes  it  a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  every  mer- 
chant, lumberman,  mine  operator  and  farmer  that  is  operating  in  the 
Coos  Bay  country.  They  should  co-operate  with  the  shipping  interests 


100  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

for  the  further  improvement  of  the  Coos  Bay  bar,  and  in  return  the  bay 
interests  should  aid  the  interior  in  getting  railroad  facilities. 

coos  BAY. 

Trade  routes,  the  lines  of  least  resistance  between  the  sources  of 
products  and  their  final  markets,  have  in  all  ages  located  commercial 
cities  at  a  point  where  a  break  in  transportation  occurs — that  is  from 
the  rail  to  the  vessel.  When  the  railroads — which  are  now  projected  to 
Coos  Bay — will  be  completed,  a  break  of  transportation  will  occur  in  the 
harbor  of  Coos  Bay,  which  brings  with  it  the  birth  of  a  new  city. 

Now,  then,  gentlemen  of  this  convention,  in  view  of  the  rapidly 
growing  commerce  of  the  Coos  Bay  port,  we  earnestly  petition  the 
influence  of  this  Congress  in  our  aid  in  procuring  from  the  national  con- 
gress sufficient  money  to  deepen  our  inner  harbor  and  channels,  and  to 
strengthen  and  extend  the  jetties  at  the  entrance  to  our  bay. 

In  this  connection  I  would  call  to  your  attention  that  within  the 
past  thirty  days  it  has  been  determined  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway 
Company  to  construct  a  branch,  leaving  their  main  line  at  Drain  station, 
into  the  harbor  of  Coos  Bay.  This  will  give  to  our  section  what  has  so 
long  been  needed — direct  rail  communication  with  the  outside  world. 

We  have  also  information,  which  we  consider  reliable,  that  before 
many  months  pass  the  world  will  have  the  assurance  that  a  great  trans- 
continental railway  will  have  its  terminus  in  Coos  Bay,  reaching  our 
territory  through  the  great  untapped  section  of  our  state  known  as 
Eastern  and  Southern  Oregon. 

In  concluding  this  paper  permit  me  to  state  that  I  hail  from  the 
thriving  young  city  of  North  Bend,  on  Coos  Bay,  and  come  as  a  dele- 
gate to  this  convention  to  ask  its  help  in  our  behalf  and  on  the  part  of 
our  citizens.  Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  your  patience  in  listening  to 
the  story  of  our  needs. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  Secretary  has  more  resolutions,  which 
will  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Resolutions. 

By  FRANK  W.  HIBBS,  Seattle,  Wash.,  representing  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  of  that  city : 

NAVAL  CONSTRUCTION  ON  PACIFIC  COAST. 

WHEREAS,  It  appears  that  prior  to  the  year  1903  the  congress  of  the 
United  States  enacted  such  legislation  in  connection  with  its  appropria- 
tions for  increase  of  the  navy  as  tended  to  encourage  steel  shipbuilding 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  by  providing  that  a  stated  number  of  the  vessels 
appropriated  for  should  be  built  at  those  ports,  and  allowing  an  excess 
margin  or  differential  of  4  per  cent  of  the  lowest  accepted  bid  for  corre- 
sponding vessels  received  from  Atlantic  coast  builders  (such  margin  or 
differential  being  only  such  as  would  reasonably  cover  the  additional 
cost  to  Pacific  coast  builders  due  to  the  greater  distance  of  necessary 
transportation  of  steel  materials),  with  the  result  that  a  very  valuable 
and  beneficial  steel  shipbuilding  industry  has  thereby  been  estab- 
lished; and 

WHEREAS,  It  appears  not  only  from  such  consideration,  but  from  actual 
bids  submitted  upon  naval  work  since  that  time  that  the  omission  of 
such  a  provision  effectively  shuts  out  Pacific  coast  builders  from  such 
competition,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  indefinitely;  and 

WHEREAS,  The  present  status  of  the  American  merchant  marine  is  such 
that  there  is  little  or  no  immediate  prospect  of  supplanting  naval  work, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  101 

when  present  contracts  are  completed  with  merchant  work  of  sufficient 
magnitude  and  amount  to  keep  these  shipyards  occupied;  therefore, 

Be  it  Resolved,  That  we  consider  it  to  be  to  the  best  interest  of  the 
country,  considering  the  growing  commercial  importance  of  the  Pacific 
to  provide  such  legislation  in  future  naval  appropriations  as  will  permit 
Pacific  coast  shipbuilders  to  compete  for  that  work  upon  an  equal  basis 
with  eastern  shipbuilders,  allowing  as  a  basis  of  equalization  a  differen- 
tial of  4  per  cent  of  the  lowest  acceptable  eastern  bid;  and  by  providing 
in  the  case  of  two  or  more  vessels  of  the  same  size  and  type  that  one 
or  more  shall  be  built  upon  the  Pacific  coast,  subject  to  the  same  restric- 
tion as  to  cost;  and  that  a  memorandum  to  this  effect  be  presented  to 
the  federal  congress  next  convening,  as  an  expression  of  the  prevailing 
sentiment  of  this  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress. 

By  E.  A.  HAWKINS,  JRV  and  E.  F.  HARRIS  (Texas)  : 

SEA  WALL  PROTECTION  AT  GALVESTON. 

Resolved :  First — That  to  advance  our  position  as  a  great  commercial 
nation,  congress  should  provide  by  adequate  appropriations  under  con- 
tinuing contracts,  for  the  widening,  deepening  and  extending  of  our  har- 
bors, so  as  to  accommodate  the  largest  modern  steamships,  the  inven- 
tion of  which  have  revolutionized  the  carrying  trade  of  the  world. 

Second — That  owing  to  the  great  increase  of  commerce  passing 
through  the  Port  of  Galveston,  and  the  deep  draft  of  vessels  in  which 
the  commerce  of  the  world  is  now  most  economically  carried,  we  fur- 
ther recommend  that  provisions  be  made  by  congress  for  securing  in  that 
harbor  a  uniform  depth  of  not  less  than  thirty-five  feet  of  water  at  mean 
low  tide,  with  a  width  and  extension  commensurate  with  the  growing 
importance  of  that  port,  and  the  needs  of  the  largest  and  deepest  draft 
vessels. 

Third — That  we  favor  the  protection  of  the  sea  wall  built  by  the 
United  States  government  for  the  protection  of  its  property  at  the  port 
of  Galveston,  in  accordance  with  the  recommendation  of  the  board  of 
United  States  engineers,  and  that  $159,000,  the  balance  of  the  money  rec- 
ommended by  said  board  be  appropriated  as  soon  as  possible  for  the 
protection  of  said  works. 

By  E.  A.  HAWKINS,  JR.,  and  E.  F.  HARRIS  (Texas)  : 

NATIONAL  WATER  WAYS  CONFERENCE. 

WHEREAS,  The  National  Rivers  and  Harbors  Congress  has,  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  Ohio  Valley  Improvement  Association,  determined  to  call 
a  national  water  ways  conference  to  meet  in  Washington,  D.  C,  the 
early  part  of  the  year  1906,  the  exact  date  to  be  determined  later,  for  the 
purpose  of  urging  upon  the  congress  of  the  United  States  the  necessity 
of  devising  ways  and  means  for  the  speedy  improvement  of  the  rivers  and 
harbors  of  this  country;  therefore, 

Be  it  Resolved,  That  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  at  its 
sixteenth  annual  session,  held  at  Portland,  Oregon,  August  16  to  19, 
1905,  heartily  approves  of  the  calling  of  such  a  conference,  and  recom- 
mends to  its  members  and  the  people  of  the  states  and  territories  entitled 
to  representation  in  this  Congress,  that  they  send  delegates  to  such 
national  water  ways  conference,  when  called,  and  that  they  lend  their 
influence  and  energies  towards  securing  the  success  of  the  same. 


102  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

By  J.  J.  DONOVAN  ( Bellingham,  Wash.)  : 

REPEAL  OF  PROVISIONS  IN  FORESTRY  LAW. 

Resolved,  That  we  request  the  repeal  of  that  provision  of  the  United 
States  forestry  laws  which  prevents  the  sale  or  use  of  timber  from 
forest  reserves,  except  within  the  states  where  such  reserves  are  located. 

By  SENATOR  HILL  (Colorado)  : 

RECLAMATION  OF  THE  ARID  WEST. 

Be  it  Resolved,  That  we  heartily  endorse  the  action  of  our  national  gov- 
ernment in  its  efforts  in  the  reclamation  of  the  arid  west,  and  would 
recomend  that  further  and  more  speedy  action  be  taken  by  it  therein, 
and  in  which  case  we  would  further  recommend  that  in  the  distribution 
of  the  funds  so  used  by  it  in  the  continuation  of  its  irrigation  develop- 
ments, that  on  account  of  their  location  and  long  distance  from  rivers 
and  harbors,  those  states  and  localities  lying  in  the  interior  and  receiving 
no  benefit  therefrom  be  given  special  consideration  out  of  these  funds. 

By  SENATOR  HILL  (Colorado)  : 

RESERVOIRS  FOR  FLOOD  WATERS. 

Be  it  Resolved,  That  in  the  appropriation  made  by  our  national  congress 
for  the  construction  of  levees  and  other  improvements  for  the  control 
of  the  high  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  other  rivers  throughout  the 
United  States  needing  such  improvements,  we  recommend  that  special 
investigation  be  given  by  congress  to  the  practicability  of  the  construc- 
tion of  large  storage  reservoirs  .at  the  headwaters  of  such  streams,  so 
as  to  store  the  water  therefrom  during  their  flood  season,  in  order  to 
relieve  the  threatened  dangers  caused  by  them  below,  and  to  allow  their 
use  later  for  the  irrigation  of  the  land  tributary  to  such  streams  by  the 
canals  and  reservoirs  taking  and  to  take  water  therefrom. 

By  H.  R.  WHITMORE  (St.  Louis,  Mo.)  : 

AN  AMERICAN  MERCHANT  MARINE. 

Resolved,  That  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  reaffirms  its 
previous  action  favoring  the  building  up  of  an  American  merchant 
marine. 

By  E.  F.  HARRIS  (Texas)  : 

COLLEGE  OF  COMMERCE. 

WHEREAS,  The  people  and  government  of  the  United  States  of  America 
are  or  ought  to  be  the  natural  friends  of  the  republics  of  Central  America 
and  South  America,  and  should  enjoy  the  most  cordial  commercial  rela- 
tions with  said  republics;  and 

WHEREAS,  Owing  to  close  inter-educational  and  inter-social  relations 
Europe  controls  90  per  cent  of  the  foreign  trade  of  said  republics,  a 
great  part  of  which  trade  might  be  and  should  be  enjoyed  by  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  this  country; 

Be  it  Resolved,  That  the  projected  Pan-American  Trades  College,  or 
College  of  Commerce,  to  be  established  upon  the  gulf  coast  of  the  Trans- 
Missisippi  country,  conveniently  located  relative  to  transportation  both 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  103 

by  land  and  by  sea,  in  which  the  languages,  habits,  usages,  customs, 
wants  and  needs  of  said  republics  shall  be  exemplified  and  taught,  and 
where  the  American  merchant  and  exporter  may  readily  find  expert 
agents  and  salesmen  familiar  therewith,  an  institution  to  be  established, 
fostered  and  maintained  by  the  governments  of  the  American  republics, 
is  by  this  Congress  heartily  endorsed  and  the  aid  of  the  congress  of  tlie 
United  States  is  invoked. 

IMMIGRATION. 

Resolved,  That  the  Trans-Mississippi  Congress  favors  the  restriction  of 
immigration  from  any  country  of  a  character  and  quantity  which  will 
endanger  the  welfare  of  American  labor,  but  we  are  net  disposed  to 
allow  a  minority  of  laborers,  mostly  of  foreign  birth,  who  have  organized, 
to  be  the  sole  judges  of  this  great  question;  and  who  by  violence  seek 
to  prevent  other  men  from  working  and  intimidate  our  legislators  by 
threats  of  their  displeasure  if  law  makers  are  not  subservient  to  their 
views. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  next  paper  on  the  program  is  that  of 
Mr.  P.  J.  van  Loben  Sels,  of  San  Francisco,  upon  the  subject,  "The 
Improvement  of  Rivers  and  Harbors." 

MR.  VAN  LOBEN  SELS: 

IMPROVEMENT  OF  RIVERS  AND  HARBORS. 

Mr.  President  and  Fellow  Delegates  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commer- 
cial Congress — The  influence  which  large,  deep,  and  navigable  rivers  have 
upon  the  growth,  the  commerce,  the  health  and  the  climate  of  a  country 
is  perhaps  not  always  sufficiently  understood. 

By  the  drainage  they  afford  they  can  promote  the  health  and  agri- 
cultural interests;  if  their  source  is  located  well  inland  they  will  affect 
the  climate,  the  fertility  and  the  prosperity  of  a  country  for  a  radius  of 
several  miles  most  beneficially;  if,  in  addition  to  this,  they  have  a  deep 
channel  of  correct  alignment,  filled  perennially  with  a  sufficient  supply 
of  water,  with  a  current  of  not  too  great  velocity,  they  may  exercise  an 
influence  over  a  country  as  great  as  if  it  were  gifted  with  a  deep  sea 
harbor  on  the  seashore  as  great  and  as  large  as  that  of  New  York  or 
San  Francisco. 

The  cities  located  on  its  banks  may,  and  often  have,  become  sea- 
ports, allowing  ocean  vessels  requiring  a  draft  of  twenty-seven  feet  to 
discharge  their  valuable  cargoes  at  the  quays  of  its  streets,  and  bring 
together  vessel  and  rail  right  in  the  center  of  the  town,  creating  condi- 
tions which  almost  inevitably  lead,  the  development  of  its  commerce, 
and  thereby  of  its  financial  and  political  influence,  which  at  once  insure 
a  great  prominence. 

To  prove  the  truth  of  the  foregoing  assertion  it  is  but  necessary 
to  quote  Hamburg  on  the  Elbe,  Bremen  on  the  Weser,  Antwerp  on  the 
Scheldt,  Rotterdam  on  the  Rhine,  all  situated  over  fifteen  or  thirty 
miles  inland,  and  each  controlling  a  tonnage  larger  than  that  of  the  port 
of  San  Francisco. 

Almost  the  entire  maritime  commerce  of  the  northern  part  of  the 
great  German  empire  is  carried  on  through  the  ports  of  Hamburg  and 
Bremen,  which,  by  the  wise  and  paternal  care  of  the  imperial  govern- 
ment were  transformed  by  artificial  means  into  deep  sea  harbors.  The 
enormous  development  and  growth  of  the  little  kingdom  of  Belgium,  its 
industries  and  manufacturing  enterprises,  its  commercial  prominence  date 


104  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

from  the  time  of  the  conference  of  Vienna,  held  in  1815,  after  the  down- 
fall of  Napoleon  I,  when  the  little  republic  of  Holland  was  forced  to 
abandon  its  claim  to  maintain  what  has  been  known  as  the  closed  Scheldt. 

To  understand  this  it  must  be  remembered  that  for  centuries  the 
Dutch  republic,  abusing  of  its  strength,  wishing  to  develop  the  com- 
merce of  its  own  seaports  of  Amsterdam,  Dordrecht  and  Vlissingen,  had 
closed  the  Scheldt,  i.  e.,  had  forbidden  and  by  force  prevented  Antwerp 
from  holding  communication  by  ship  with  the  sea,  a  condition  of  affairs 
which  may  well  shock  our  modern  notions  of  fairness  and  propriety. 

Rotterdam,  situated  twenty-one  miles  inland  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine,  the  commerce  of  which  in  about  1875  had  dwindled  to  almost 
nothing,  is  now,  with  the  sole  exception  of  Hamburg,  the  seaport  on  the 
continent  of  Europe  controlling  the  largest  tonnage.  Still,  it  was  only 
in  1863  that  the  state's  general  of  Holland  enacted  a  law  authorizing  the 
construction  of  the  "new  water  way  from  Rotterdam  to  the  sea." 

It  was  a  gigantic  undertaking  which  might  well  have  staggered  a 
people  less  energetic  and  enterprising  than  the  Dutch.  It  meant  the 
construction  of  an  entirely  new  river  bed  1,600  feet  wide,  partly  through 
a  chain  of  sand  dunes  which  is  thirty  feet  high  and  over  a  mile  in  width, 
to  deep  water  in  the  channel  of  the  North  Sea.  The  work  of  construc- 
tion was  commenced  at  once  and  vigorously  prosecuted. 

While  formerly  a  ship,  after  leaving  Rotterdam,  was  obliged  to  pass 
four  locks  and  to  be  towed  through  long  and  crooked  canals,  and  finally 
to  wait  for  high  tide  to  reach  the  sea,  causing  a  delay  of  at  least  eighteen 
hours,  and  often  of  several  days,  the  first  steam  vessel  with  a  draft  of 
twenty  feet  went  through  the  new  water  way  directly  from  Rotterdam 
to  the  sea  in  1874  in  less  than  two  hours.  Since  that  time  work  has  con- 
tinued and  during  the  last  twenty  years  the  deepest  sea  going  ships 
reach  Rotterdam  without  break  of  cargo  or  waiting  for  a  tide  with  per- 
fect safety.  The  result  of  the  development  of  the  port  of  Rotterdam  may 
briefly  be  stated  to  have  been  as  follows: 

In  1850  the  streets  of  Rotterdam  covered  107?  acres. 

In  1896  the  streets  of  Rotterdam  covered  530  acres. 

In  1850  the  number  of  ships  entering  Rotterdam  was  1,907,  with  a 
tonnage  of  393,393  tons. 

In  1880  the  number  of  ships  entering  Rotterdam  was  3,570,  with  a 
tonnage  of  1,728,305  tons. 

In  1896  the  number  of  ships  entering  Rotterdam  was  5,904,  with  a 
tonnage  of  4,951,560  tons. 

From  1874  till  1896  the  city  of  Rotterdam  spent  $9,000,000  increasing 
the  area  of  her  port  from  100  acres  to  312  acres,  and  the  length  of  her 
quays  and  wharves  from  seven  miles  to  sixteen  and  a  half  miles.  Since 
then  the  area  has  been  increased  to  572  acres,  and  each  year  Rotterdam 
spends  about  $1,400,000  in  an  effort  to  increase  her  harbor  and  wharfage 
sufficiently  to  satisfy  the  constantly  growing  demands  of  the  trans- 
Atlantic  commerce. 

History  confirms  the  view  that  lands  which  by  their  harbors  or  their 
rivers  have  free  communication  with  the  sea  and  thus  make  their  influ- 
ence felt  upon  other  countries  have  become  prosperous  and  powerful 
and  have  dominated  the  world.  In  fact,  it  might  be  said — other  condi- 
tions being  equal — that  to  the  extent  that  a  country  has  a  well  indented 
sea  shore,  with  many  deep  and  navigable  rivers  draining  the  interior,  the 
country  will  be  prosperous,  well  settled  and  powerful. 

Is  there  a  more  energetic,  frugal  and  hard-working  people  than  the 
Swiss?  They  are  surrounded,  however,  by  other  lands,  and  thereby  cut 
off  from  the  sea.  Switzerland  does  not  possess  a  single  navigable 
stream,  and  the  result  has  been  a  hardy  race,  whence  sprang  and  was 
nurtured  that  indomitable  spirit  of  independence  and  of  liberty  which 
has  been  a  boon  to  other  lands,  but  in  other  respects,  in  its  influence  upon 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  105 

the  affairs  of  the  world,  its  commerce,  its  wealth,  its  literature,  even  in 
art  and  in  science,  Switzerland  has  remained  and  is  now  backward  com- 
pared with  other  nations.  The  same  applies  to  Austria,  Bavaria,  Wurtem- 
berg  and  even  Russia.  For  over  three  centuries  Russia  has  endeavored 
to  get  a  port  whence  it  could  send  out  its  ships,  and  develop  a  com- 
merce and  a  navy.  Czar  Peter  the  Great,  with  far-seeing  statesmanship, 
desiring  to  raise  the  people  dominated  by  him  to  a  higher  plane  of  civili- 
zation, left  no  stone  unturned  to  create  a  seaport  and  a  commercial 
fleet.  He  founded  the  port  of  Kronstadt  on  the  Baltic,  but  it  is  ice 
bound  in  winter  and  controlled  by  the  powers  which  border  on  that 
inland  sea.  England  has  seen  to  it  that  the  Bosphorus  remains  bottled 
up  for  her.  Vladivostock  is  ice  bound  and  almost  useless,  and  the  little 
island  empire  of  the  Pacific  will  take  care  that  Port  Arthur,  developed 
at  an  enormous  cost,  will  not  again  be  a  part  of  the  Russian  empire. 
Her  navy  is  crushed  and  wiped  off  the  sea;  it  is  believed  that  that  fact 
puts  an  end  to  vthe  enormous  mass  called  Russia  as  a  world  power. 

Need  I  quote  ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  both  sea  powers,  and  their 
influence  in  ancient  history,  or  England,  Portugal  and  the  United 
Netherlands,  in  later  times;  and  is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  United  States 
of  America  had  not  been  recognized  as  a  world  power  till  its  fleet  had 
annihilated  the  Spanish  ships?  And  in  1898,  when  liberty-hating,  free- 
dom-crushing, pelf-loving  England  desired  to  steal  a  gold  mine  and  in 
order  to  paint  South  Africa  red,  found  it  necessary  to  crush  two  small 
independent  republics,  whose  existence  it  had  guaranteed  by  solemn 
treaty,  the  fact  that  the  Boers  had  no  seaport,  no  connection  with  the 
outer  world,  preventing  them  from  getting  supplies  other  than  those 
which  they  took  from  the  British,  decided  the  fate  of  250,000  freemen 
and  enabled  their  enemy  to  reduce  them  to  practical  slavery.  It  was  the 
one  factor  in  which  the  British  were  superior  to  the  Boers. 

It  can  be  said  that  the  civilization,  the  degree  of  development,  the 
standing  of  a  people  and  the  moral  worth  of  a  government  can  be 
deducted  from  the  condition  of  its  rivers  and  the  care  for  the  main- 
tenance and  improvement  that  is  bestowed  upon  them. 

The  old  Romans  understood  this,  and  wherever  they  went  one  of 
their  first  acts  was  the  development  of  the  river  beds  for  the  purpose  of 
commerce,  drainage  and  reclamation  of  adjacent  lands.  As  early  as  a 
hundred  years  B.  C.  they  bestowed  much  time  and  money  upon  the  care 
of  the  rivers  in  the  countries  brought  under  their  rule. 

The  first  dikes  in  Holland,  the  forerunners  of  the  present  enormous 
structures  which  astonish  the  tourist,  were  built  by  the  Roman  soldiers 
while  encamped  in  their  winter  quarters,  and  the  present  connection 
between  the  Rhine  and  the  Yssel,  allowing  one-ninth  of  the  total  amount 
of  water  discharged  by  the  former  to  find  its  way  to  the  sea  through 
the  latter,  was  built  in  the  year  85  B.  C.  by  the  Roman  general  Drusu, 
and  that  canal,  which  we  would  now  call  a  cut-off,  is  to  this  day  known 
as  the  Drusus  gracht,  or  Drusus  canal,  and  is  now  in  perfect  working 
order  and  in  constant  use.  The  same  applies  to  the  Po  in  Italy,  the 
Seine  in  France,  at  the  mouth  of  which  the  port  of  Havre  is  situated; 
the  Elbe  and  Weser  in  Germany,  and  the  Rhine,  the  Yssel,  the  Waal 
and  the  Meuse  in  Holland,  the  Scheldt  in  Belgium,  the  Mississippi  with 
its  famous  Eads  jetties,  and  the  Columbia  River  in  the  United  States. 
And  who  does  not  know  of  the  enormous  amount  of  money  about  to 
be  expended  upon  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie  canal  in  New  York  paral- 
leling the  New  York  Central  railroad,  which  work  is  still  considered 
necessary  for  the  development  of  the  Empire  State? 

In  order  to  give  some  idea  as  to  what  has  been  done  in  other  coun- 
tries for  the  improvement  of  their  ports,  rivers  and  water  ways  alone,  I 
quote  the  following  from  official  documents,  showing  what  has  been 
spent  in  the  little  kingdom  of  Holland: 


106  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

Totals  from 

In  1897.  1844  to  1897. 

Rhine     $    115,000  $  3,727,687 

Waal     112,600  4,304,752 

Yssel     47,400  1,198,288 

Merivede     147,300  6,889,120 

Dordrecht  rivers   18*9,500  1,673,976 

Meuse     129,200  4,285,089 

Change  of  the    mouth  of    the 

Meuse     567,320  10,024,913 

Rotterdam   waterway    278,600  17,024,105 


Totals     $1,586,920  $49,127,930 

And  all  this  is  but  a  small  portion  of  what  is  yearly  spent  in  Hol- 
land ports  for  smaller  water  ways,  to  say  nothing  of  dike  construction 
and  reclamation  of  lands.  For  the  port  of  Amsterdam  alone  $5,000,000 
was  spent  for  the  construction  of  the  North  Sea  canal  commenced  in 
1819  and  finished  in  1825.  Since  that  time  the  facilities  had  proven 
entirely  inadequate  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  modern  navigation.  A  new 
and  shorter  way  through  "The  Y"  direct  to  the  North  Sea  was  con- 
structed, begun  in  1865,  and  finished  in  1882,  at  a  total  cost  of  $9,500,000. 
Lately,  in  1894,  a  new  lock  was  constructed  at  Ymuiden,  allowing  deeper 
and  wider  ships  to  enter  the  port,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500,000.  Various  other 
plans  for  the  improvement  of  the  commerce,  involving  millions,  are 
under  consideration. 

The  port  of  Antwerp,  in  Belgium,  is  about  to  spend  $50,000,000  for 
providing  a  better,  shorter  and  safer  communication  to  the  sea  by  improv- 
ing the  river  Scheldt  for  that  purpose.  In  Italy  the  valley  of  the  Po, 
about  200  miles  long,  and  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles  wide,  has  been 
improved  by  the  construction  of  works  in  the  most  substantial  manner 
with  stone  riveted  banks  in  many  places,  masonry  bed  works,  bridges, 
outlets,  sluice  ways,  overfalls^  syphons  and  other  structures.  The 
Columbia  river,  after  the  Yukon,  the  largest  river  on  the  western  side  of 
America,  rises  in  British  Columbia,  flows  through  Washington  and  forms 
the  northern  boundary  line  of  Oregon  for  350  miles.  It  has  an  esti- 
mated length  of  1,400  miles;  its  drainage  area,  including  tributaries,  is 
computed  at  298,000  square  miles.  In  1896  the  federal  government 
completed  the  canals  and  locks  at  Cascade,  at  an  expense  of  nearly 
$4,000,000.  The  navigation  is  now  open  to  The  Dalles.  The  govern- 
ment is  about  to  commence  work  to  overcome  the  obstructions 
at  The  Dalles.  On  the  Mississippi  river  the  government  has 
spent  between  1882  and  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  1903  more 
than  $18,000,000.  The  states  and  levee  districts  interested  during  the 
same  period  spent  more  than  $4,000,000,  and  it  is  estimated  that  94,000,- 
000  of  cubic  yards  will  be  necessary  for  the  construction  of  the  levees 
at  an  estimated  cost  of  not  less  than  $20,000,000.  Since  1879  the  national 
government  and  the  states  (each  contributing  about  one-half)  have 
spent  the  aggregate  of  $29,000,000  in  the  improvement  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  and  it  is  estimated  that  about  $22,000,000  more  will  be  needed  to 
complete  the  work.  This  does  not  include  the  cost  of  the  Eads  jetties 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  river,  planned  and  executed  by  Captain 
Eads,  and  by  the  construction  of  which  he  made  his  name  immortal,  and 
by  which  he  made  a  seaport  of  New  Orleans. 

We  of  California,  who  live  in  a  country  blessed  with  a  great  many 
privileges,  among  which  is  the  fact  that  our  state,  from  north  to  south, 
is  divided  in  two  great  valleys,  those  of  the  Sacramento  and  the  San 
Joaquin,  stretching  almost  from  the  northern  boundary  line  to  the 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  107 

Tehachipi,  count  among  our  greatest  advantages  the  existence  of  the 
two  great  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers.  Sacramento  valley  is 
traversed  in  its  entire  length  of  about  262  miles  by  the  noble  stream 
destined  to  be  a  boon  and  blessing  to  the  state,  not  only  affording  a 
great  highway  for  deep  sea  and  inland  commerce,  but  also  by  the  drain- 
age and  irrigation  it  can  furnish  to  become  the  means  of  great  wealth 
and  prosperity  to  the  adjacent  and  to  the  entire  state  lands.  Springing 
from  the  flanks  of  Mt.  Shasta,  the  little  Sacramento  is  soon  joined  by 
the  Pitt  and  McCloud  rivers,  and  after  emerging  from  Iron  canyon  at 
Red  Bluff,  enters  into  the  lowlands  and  passing  Colusa,  Sacramento  City, 
the  capital  of  the  state,  and  Rio  Vista,  discharges  into  Suisun  bay,  itself 
a  portion  of  San  Francisco  bay. 

Previous  to  the  advent  of  man,  in  1849,  the  waters  of  Sacramento 
river  were  clear,  and  deep  sea  going  vessels  could,  and  up  to  about  1860, 
did  go  up  to  and  discharge  their  cargoes  at  Sacramento  City,  the  capital 
of  California;  a  strong  tide  then  ran  up  past  that  city.  By  the  folly  and 
neglect  of  man,  all  that  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  waters  of  Sacra- 
mento river  are  now  muddy  and  brown.  The  bed  above  and  below  Sac- 
ramento has  been  filled  with  sand  with  a  deposit  variously  called  debris 
and  slickens,  so  as  to  impair  seriously,  if  not  totally  destroy  its  use- 
fulness as  a  navigable  channel  and  drainage  bed.  At  times  during  the 
summer  months  steamers  with  a  draft  of  but  five  feet  could  not  reach 
the  capital  and  had  to  lighten  their  load  on  barges. 

Of  late  the  government  maintains^,  channel  of  seven  feet  by  means 
of  temporary,  flimsy  jetties  which  are  not  kept  in  repair  and  are  allowed 
to  be  partially  washed  away.  Tidal  action  is  now  not  noticeable,  except 
at  points  twenty  miles  below  Sacramento  City. 

The  United  States  claims  and  maintains  the  exclusive  jurisdiction 
over  the  navigable  channels  of  the  country.  It  seems  a  self-evident  fact 
that  if  ever  a  privilege  implied  a  duty  it  does  so  in  this  instance,  and 
it  would  seem,  further,  that  where  the  federal  government  claims  exclu- 
sive power  of  control  over  the  navigable  channels  it  should  be  obliged 
not  only  to  furnish  a  channel  for  limited  navigation,  but  to  develop  and 
maintain  that  channel  at  the  highest  degree  of  usefulness,  both  for  the 
purpose  of  navigation  and  of  drainage  of  which  that  river  fs  capable, 
and  that  if  it  fails  to  perform  that  duty,  if  it  allows  that  river  to  become 
a  scourge,  a  curse  and  a  means  of  destruction  to  the  surrounding  country, 
it  falls  short  of  fulfilling  the  duty  which  can  reasonably  be  expected  of 
an  enlightened  government.  A  man  who  owns  a  house,  although  its 
primary  object  may  be  to  furnish  a  dwelling,  is  not  allowed  to  use  it  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  becomes  a  menace  to  neighboring  structures.  Is  a 
man  allowed  to  keep  an  animal  in  his  stable  which  by  being  tainted  with 
a  dangerous  and  contagious  disease  may  do  damage  to  others?  Now  we 
submit  that  this  is  exactly  what  the  federal  government  allows  the  Sac- 
ramento river  to  be  and  to  remain — a  menace  and  a  danger.  A  river  is 
not  primarily  a  means  of  navigation.  Its  most  important  province,  that 
for  which  it  is  intended  and  created,  is  to  provide  drainage  for  excessive 
rains  and  melting  snow  to  tide  water.  If  that  channel  is  fit  and  suitable 
for  that  purpose,  of  sufficient  area  and  of  prper  alignment,  it  will  be  a 
source  of  benefit,  indeed,  and  a  boon.  If  it  is  made  or  allowed  to  remain 
^  by  those  who  are  charged  with  the  duty  of  taking  care  of  that  channel 
T  unfit  to  perform  that  work,  it  must  necessariily  become  a  source  of  destruc- 
tion and  waste.  The  floods,  which  the  channel  is  not  capable  of  carry- 
ing to  tide  waters,  will  break  their  bounds,  destroy  crops,  bringing  ruin 
and  devastation  in  their  path.  This  is-  exactly  what  happens  with  Sacra- 
mento river.  It  traverses  a  plain  of  immense  fertility,  from  thirty  to 
fifty  miles  in  width,  destined  to  sustain  and  capable  of  nourishing  a  popu- 
lation numbered  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands.  At  a  comparatively 


108  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

small  outlay  conditions  could  be  created  for  Sacramento  valley  equal  to 
those  of  the  valley  of  the  Po  or  the  Rhine. 

But  in  reality,  the  channel  has  partly  by  man  been  made  absolutely 
unfit  to  perform  its  duty  of  affording  drainage.  On  the  9th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1862,  its  angry  waters  broke  through  and  overtopped  the  levees  of 
the  capital  of  the  state,  inundated  the  entire  city,  and  rushed  through 
its  streets  to  tide  water.  The  entire  valley  from  Red  Bluff  to  the  bay, 
from  mountain  to  mountain,  containing  an  area  of  over  1,200,000  acres, 
was  an  inland  sea  on  which  steamboats  could  and  did  roam  at  will. 
Other  floods  have  occurred  with  painful  regularity,  devastating  often  this 
entire  portion  of  the  state.  Wherever  the  flood  occurs  it  carries  with  it 
all  improvements,  houses,  barns,  fences;  the  work  of  years,  constructed 
at  great  cost,  is  destroyed  in  a  day.  It  leaves  the  country  a  barren 
waste  requiring  years  of  renewed  labor,  renewed  effort  to  restore  it  to 
its  former  condition.  One  break,  which  occurred  in  March,  1904,  and 
was  called  the  Edwards'  break,  caused  a  loss  estimated  at  $5,000,000. 

It  will  be  easily  understood  how  similar  conditions  of  ever  impend- 
ing danger,  threatening  at  any  time  to  destroy  the  work  of  a>  lifetime, 
must  necessarily  retard  the  growth  and  development  of  the  country, 
prevent  the  erection  of  permanent  improvements,  drive  away  capital  and 
prevent  the  settling  up  of  the  land  by  colonists.  Indeed,  in  1904,  the  Sac- 
ramento Valley  Improvement  Association  Company,  after  it  had,  at  great 
cost,  induced  a  number  of  colonists  to  come  to  and  settle  in  Sacramento 
valley,  had  the  mortification  to  be  obliged  to  tell  them  that  the  lands 
which  had  been  set  apart  for  them  were  inundated  and  devastated. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  Sacramento  river  at  no  time  of  its  history 
has  been  in  a  fit  condition  to  carry  its  flood  waters  to  tide  water,  but 
nature  had  provided  means  to  overcome  and  shorten  the  evil  not  only 
through  over-bank  discharge  in  the  adjoining  basins,  but  through  well- 
defined  sloughs,  or  natural  water  courses. 

The  riparian  owners,  desiring  each  in  their  own  way  to  reclaim 
their  land,  did  so  regardless  of  the  effect  their  work  might  have  on  other 
sections.  They  dammed  off  the  sloughs,  and  prevented  over-bank  dis- 
charge by  the  erection  of  levees.  Each  has  worked  and  still  works  for 
himself,  and  his  main  endeavor  has  been  and  still  is  to  reclaim  his  land 
in  such  a  way  as  to  drown  out  his  neighbor  opposite,  above  or  below 
him,  as  that  will  give  him  the  much  needed  relief.  The  result  is  what 
might  be  expected — confusion  worse  confounded.  The  government 
beholds,  looks  on,  but  does  nothing.  A  consciousness  that  it  has  a  duty 
to  perform  in  the  premises,  that  it,  and  it  alone,  can  lead  and  regulate 
and  restrain  individual  efforts,  and  must  devise  means  to  correct  the 
evil,  making  possible  the  reclamation  of  the  1,200,000  acres  involved,  has 
not  even  dawned  as  yet  on  the  minds  of  its  officials. 

Over  $25,000,000  have  been  spent  in  the  last  thirty  years  by  private 
land  owners,  mostly  in  vain  efforts  to  reclaim  their  valuable  lands.  At 
best,  25,000  acres  can  be  considered  to  have  been  reclaimed  successfully. 
Reclamation  in  Caifornia>,  as  a  whole,  is  a  physical  impossibility,  unless 
the  government  discharges  its  duty  of  rendering  the  channel  fit  to  do 
the  duty  for  which  it  was  primarily  intended.  If  thoroughly  reclaimed, 
the  lands,  all  incredibly  fertile,  can  be  made  very  valuable,  capable  of 
producing  immense  crops  and  sustaining  a  population  teeming  with  life,  » 
supporting  schools,  churches  a<nd  banks,  and  would,  undoubtedly,  soon  be  * 
dotted  with  growing  towns  and  villages;  but  it  may  be  said  that  Sacra- 
mento river  is  at  present  in  a  worse  condition  than  before  the  advent  of 
man,  in  1849.  Under  the  tender  care  of  the  war  department,  it  remains 
in  a  state  of  utter  neglect,  a  source  of  devastation  and  ruin  rather  than 
the  bringer  of  wealth,  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing.  I  may  be  allowed  to 
cite  two  instances  in  proof  of  this  assertion.  Just  below  the  little  town 
of  Freeport  a  tree  trunk  has  been  lodged  for  over  eight  months  right  in 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  109 

the  middle  of  the  stream,  with  its  sharpened  point  lying  up  stream,  three 
feet  above  the  water  line.  Should  a  boat  hit  that  log  it  would  sink  imme- 
diately. Unless  removed,  it  will,  undoubtedly,  lead  to  the  forming  of  an 
island  in  the  middle  of  the  channel,  seriously  reducing  the  channel  area 
as  a  flood  carrier,  as  similar  other  islands  are  allowed  to  do  elsewhere 
in  the  -channel  of  Sacramento  river.  Just  below  the  capital  of  the  state, 
opposite  the  Payne  break,  an  enterprising  citizen  has  constructed  Yean 
jetties,  seriously  impeding  the  flow,  throwing  the  current  in  the  wrong 
direction  against  the  levees  which  shut  off  the  Payne  break.  The  object 
of  the  citizen  is  to  form  in  the  bed  of  the  river  a  sand  pit.  He  sells  the 
sand  in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  and  does  a  rushing  business.  The  gov- 
ernment looks  on,  does  nothing,  and  seems  completely  unconscious  of  its 
duty  in  the  premises. 

Attempts  to  rouse  the  government  to  a  sense  of  its  duty  have  not 
been  lacking;  but  the  main  effort  of  its  officers,  the  only  one  in  which 
they  have  been  eminently  successful  in  California,  has  been  to  find 
excuses  for  doing  nothing.  It  is  true  that  about  $1,000,000  have  been 
spent  by  the  federal  government,  mainly  at  the  instigation  and  in  the 
interests  of  hydraulic  mining,  and  works  have  been  constructed  to  retain 
the  debris  in  the  canyons,  and  some  jetties  have  been  constructed  below 
Sacramento  City  to  maintain  a  channel  seven  feet  deep.  Most  of  these 
works  have  been,  or  are  being,  washed  away  by  the  current. 

No  organized  plan  for  improving  the  river  as  a  whole,  for  bringing 
order  out  of  choas,  has  ever  been  made  by  the  government.  The  state  of 
California  has  been  more  active,  but  it  can  do  nothing  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  war  department.  Since  several  years,  the  state  department 
of  public  works  has  been  spending  appropriations  made  by  the  state  leg- 
islature doing  local  work  here  and  there;  but  the  vastness  of  the  task 
precludes  the  work  from  being  carried  on  by  the  state  alone.  Private 
parties  interested  in  the  work  have  organized  the  River  Improvement 
and  Drainage  Association  of  California,  which  has  done  me  the  honor  to 
delegate  me  as  its  representative  to  this  session  of  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress.  The  purposes  of  this  association  are  largely  edu- 
cational. It  was  instrumental  in  procuring  the  report  of  three  eminent 
eastern  engineers,  at  state  expense,  for  the  improvement  of  Sacramento 
river,  and  the  congress  has  now  asked  its  officers  what,  if  anything,  the 
federal  government  can  and  what  it  ought  to  do  to  assist  in  carrying 
out  the  work.  The  state  and  the  land  owners,  the  latter  organized  for 
the  purpose,  are  ready  to  do  their  share. 

Mr.  Chairman,  it  was  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  paper  that 
the  degree  of  earnestness  of  a  government  and  the  realization  of  its 
duties  could  be  judged  by  the  degree  of  attention  bestowed  upon  the 
maintenance  of  its  river  channels.  If  that  is  true,  as  it  is  believed  to  be, 
what  is  to  be  said  of  the  way  in  which  the  federal  government  dis- 
charges its  duties  and  fulfills  its  trusts,  if  we  are  to  be  guided  by  the 
conditions  of  Sacramento  river  in  California?  We  of  America  are  apt 
to  pride  ourselves  on  our  advancement,  our  enlightenment,  our  educa- 
tion, our  schools,  our  railroads,  our  navy,  our  freedom,  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  the  worm-eaten,  misgovernned  nations  in  Europe.  I  think  it 
behooves  us  to  admit  with  meek  contrition  that  in  one  respect,  at  least, 
we  must  be  prepared  to  accept  the  admonition  "to  go  way  back  and  sit 
down."  Let  us  hope  that  with  that  wonderful  energy  and  the  spirit  of 
emulation  and  desire  to  achieve  great  things  jn  a  grand  way  for  which 
this  nation  is  famous,  our  people  will  wake  up  to  their  duty  in  regard 
also  to  river  channel  improvements,  and  that  the  chronicler  of  what  has 
been  achieve.d  in  that  respect  who  may  address  a  similar  congress  of 
men  twenty-five  years  hence  may  have  to  tell  of  pleasanter  things  'and 
greater  achievement.  Let  us  all  do  our  duty  in  this  regard  and  bring 
upon  the  government  the  realization  of  what  is  expected  of  it.  It  has 


110  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

been  my  aim  to  describe  facts  and  conditions,  not  to  assail  anybody. 
Perhaps  the  system  is  at  fault.  I  will  not  take  up  your  time  with  a 
discussion  of  the  question  whether  the  practice  in  the  United  States  of 
leaving  to  one  department  or  to  one  set  of  men,  the  conducting  of  war, 
the  constructing  of  forts  and  coast  defenses,  the  governing  of  foreign 
Colonies  and  the  planning  and  constructing  of  works  for  the  improve- 
ment of  harbors  and  river  channels  be  a  wise  one  or  not,  and  whether 
or  not  wisdom  and  policy  suggest  that  that  should  be  continued  in  the 
future.  The  officers  of  the  government  have  to  walk  in  grooves,  have  to 
obey  rules,  and  have  to  abide  by  routine  the  growth  of  years.  Probably 
they  are  not  to  blame.  I  understand  they  are  forbidden  to  suggest  even 
much  needed  work  and  improvements  and  are  confined  to  executing 
works  ordered  by  Washington.  It  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that  this 
system  will  be  abandoned,  and  that  the  way  of  the  new  hydrographical 
and  of  the  reclamation  service  will  be  adopted,  the  war  department 
charging  its  officers  with  the  duty  of  planning  and  reporting  plans  for 
the  improvement  and  maintenance  of  channels.  Unless  that  is  done 
nothing  great  and  permanent  will  ever  be  achieved.  (Applause.) 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  If  there  are  no  further  committees  to  re- 
port at  this  time,  the  Chair  will  introduce  Colonel  T.  Wain-Morgan 
Draper  of  California,  who  will  speak  on  the  subject  on  which  Judge 
Richards  spoke  on  the  resolution  which  has  not  yet  been  reported 
by  the  committee  in  regard  to  a  department  of  mines  and  mining. 
I  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  Colonel  Draper.  (Applause.) 

COLONEL  DRAPER  thereupon  read  the  following  paper: 

MINES  AND  MINING  AND  THE  NECESSITY  FOR  A  UNITED 
STATES  DEPARTMENT  THEREFOR. 

The  subject  on  which  I  have  been  asked  to  address  this  convention 
is  such  a  comprehensive  one  and  so  far  reaching  in  its  bearings  that,  in 
the  time  allotted  to  me,  I  shall  not  pretend  to  go  into  the  history  of  min- 
ing in  any  sense  of  the  word,  and  whatever  statistics  I  give  will  simply 
hark  back  a  few  years  to  show  the  vast  growth  of  the  industry  in  this 
country. 

I  believe  that  the  first  pig  iron  was  made  in  a  small  furnace  in 
Virginia,  and  its  output  was  about  thirty  tons  a  year.  Compared  with 
the  present  product  of  about  23,000,000  tons,  this  would  indicate  a  very 
vigorous  growth.  It  has  been  so  with  all  of  the  known  metals  and  non- 
metals — the  side  products  of  the  metals  themselves — not  alone  of  the 
known  metals  in  the  beginning  of  the  United  States,  but  also  in  the 
metals  and  minerals  since  discovered,  notably  the  mineral  oils. 

The  importance  of  the  industry  which,  in  its  totals,  far  exceeds  that 
of  any  other  country  in  the  world,  should  have  led  our  government  to 
establish  a  department  of  mines  and  mining  long  since,  and  it  should 
have  emulated  smaller  countries,  with  mineral  products  infinitessimal 
beside  those  of  our  native  land,  that  have  established  departments  of 
mines  represented  by  able  men,  who  do  all  they  can  to  encourage  that 
branch  of  the  industry.  In  the  old  Freiberg  mining  district,  in  the  king- 
dom of  Saxony,  governmental  aid  goes  further  than  elsewhere.  The  two 
smelting  works,  treating  large  amounts  of  foreign  ores  besides  the  local 
products,  pay  handsome  dividends,  part  of  which  is  set  aside  in  the 
shape  of  a  bonus  to  the  mines,  in  order  that  they  may  continue  to  operate. 
Their  great  depth  and  the  cost  of  mining  would  otherwise  require  them 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  Ill 

to  be  closed  down,  throwing  out  of  employment  almost  the  entire  popu- 
lation. I  would  not  care  to  recommend  that  our  government  should  go 
to  this  extent,  however. 

At  the  present  time  the  interests  of  mining  and  its  kindred  indus- 
tries are  presided  over  by  bureaus  in  the  department  of  commerce  and 
labor  and  the  interior.  A  notable  instance  of  the  growth  of  a  department 
is  that  established  prior  to  the  department  of  commerce,  viz.,  the 
department  of  agriculture.  All  here  will  doubtless  remember  that  when 
this  department  was  created  it  was  in  its  early  stages  always  alluded  to 
with  a  smile,  was  regarded  as  a  sort  of  joke,  the  secretary  was  made  the 
subject  of  many  cartoons  in  the  public  press;  and  yet  today  there  is 
perhaps  no  department  of  the  government  that  does  more  for  the  welfare 
of  the  interests  subject  to  its  charge  than  does  the  department  of  agri- 
culture. In  fact,  agriculture  has  been  raised  through  this  medium  from 
an  occupation  pursued  simply  as  a  livelihood  to  one  of  vast  commercial 
importance,  to  which  the  brains  and  money  of  some  of  the  greatest 
business  men  of  the  country  are  being  devoted.  Mines  and  mining  have 
not  waited  for  this  aid,  though  clamoring  for  recognition  for  many  years. 
They  have  gone  ahead  until  the  industry  itself  is  one  of  the  vastest  in 
our  country.  There  is  hardly  a  thing  that  we  use  in  life  that  has  not 
some  connection  with  or  origin  in  mining.  It  matters  not  to  what  part 
of  the  United  States  or  her  colonies  the  needle  may  point — everywhere 
we  find  mining.  In  California  it  is  gold;  in  Michigan  copper;  in  Arkan- 
sas zinc;  in  Pennsylvania  coal,  and  so  on;  and  apparently  everywhere 
oil,  mineral  oil. 

In  past  years  an  effort  has  been  made,  through  the  United  States 
geological  survey  to  aid  mining  through  the  geological  survey  examina- 
tions, made  by  highly  talented  gentlemen  connected  therewith;  but  these 
men  have  had  no  direct  representation  in  the  cabinet.  They  have  had  to 
urge  the  claims  of  the  industry  through  subordinates  and  consequently 
have  had  but  half  a  hearing.  The  very  niggardly  supplies  given  the 
geological  survey  and  the  various  bureaus  in  the  departments  connected 
with  mining  have  greatly  hampered  the  work  that  should  be  done  in  this 
industry.  It  needs  a  cabinet  officer  to  especially  push  the  claims  of  min- 
ing, in  and  out  of  season,  as.  it  is  done  in  the  other  great  departments  of 
our  country's  commerce — it  needs  direct  representation. 

I  will  later  in  this  paper  furnish  a  few  statistics  showing  the  enor- 
mous totals  of  the  various  metallic  and  non-metallic  products.  (Under 
this  latter  head  comes  gas,  coal,  petroleum,  etc.,),  and,  if  you  have  not 
studied  these  figures  before,  you  will  be  surprised  to  learn  of  the  enor- 
mous value  of  mining  products  in  the  United  States. 

As  stated,  a  great  deal  of  valuable  work  has  been  done  by  the 
geological  survey,  but  so  hampered  has  it  been,  that  its  statistics,  its 
conclusions,  its  views  on  any  given  district  are  usually  published  from 
two  to  three  years  after  the  examinations  and  experiments  have  been 
made,  the  result  being,  almost  invariably,  that  the  situation  has  been  so 
completely  changed  that  these  statistics,  garnered  with  great  labor  and 
study,  are  of  but  little  value  to  the  current  period.  For  instance,  the 
geological  survey  of  a  district  is  made  in  1905  and  the  miner  who  sees  it 
being  done  is  pleased  and  glad  that  he  has  a  paternal  government  that 
looks  after  his  special  district;  but,  as  the  years  go  on  and  1907  comes 
around,  he  loses  hope  that  the  paternal  government  statistics  and  reports 
are  ever  going  to  be  published.  Finally,  when  they  are  forthcoming  in 
the  following  year,  he  has  waited  so  long  that  they  are  of  no  value  to 
him.  This  is  not  the  fault  of  the  survey,  nor  is  it  the  fault  of  the  depart- 
ment of  commerce  and  labor,  nor  yet  of  the  department  of.  the  interior. 
It  is  simply  that  the  mining  industry  plays  second  fiddle  where  it  should 
be  first  violin  in  its  own  department. 


112  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

We  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  region  are  apt  to  look  upon  the  mineral 
products  of  the  United  States  as  peculiarly  our  own.  This  is  a  very  great 
mistake.  The  iron,  coal  and  oil  products  east  of  the  Mississippi  assume 
such  enormous  figures  that  our  products  of  the  west  become  small  in 
quantity  in  comparison.  The  bulk  is  largely  in  the  east  and  the  intrinsic 
values  in  the  west.  You  quite  appreciate  that  it  takes  a  great  many  tons 
of  coal,  or  a  great  many  barrels  of  oil  to  make  the  value  of  one  ton  of 
<<old.  The  values  of  the  products  are  almost  equal.  Therefore,  it  is 
remarkable  that  there  is  no  more  assistance  given  from  the  east  to  the 
project  of  a  cabinet  minister  than  there  is.  There  are  more  men  directly 
interested  in  the  production  and  manufacture  of  the  metallic  and  non- 
metallic  products  of  the  east  than  there  are  of  the  Trans-Mississippi 
region,  and  yet  all  along  the  cry  for  a  department  of  mines  and  mining 
has  come  almost  solely  from  the  west.  I  think  it  should  be  the  aim  of 
this  Congress  to  awaken  an  interest  in  eastern  mining  circles  to  receive 
their  aid  in  the  important  struggle  to  create  a  department  of  mines  and 
mining.  It  will  never  be  granted  by  congress  until  the  united  mining 
interests  of  the  entire  country  demands  it.  The  east  is  a  good  field 
for  missionary  work  in  this  respect.  If  the  great  coal,  iron  and  oil 
industries  of  that  section  could  once  be  aroused  to  the  necessity  for  and 
the  great  good  of  such  a  department,  it  would  be  but  a  short  time  before 
the  pressure  would  be  too  great  for  congress  to  bear  and  the  depart- 
ment would  be  established. 

The  latest  complete  statistics  that  we  have  from  the  United  States 
geological  survey  of  the  mineral  products  of  the  United  States  are  for 
1903.  In  that  report  the  mineral  production  for  1903  was  $1,419,721,569, 
as  compared  with  $1,260,509,738  in  1902,  a  gain  of  12.63  per  cent. 

Iron  and  coal  continue  the  most  important  mineral  products.  The 
value  of  the  iron  in  1903  was  $344,350,000;  the  value  of  the  coal  $503,724,- 
381.  The  gain  in  total  value  is  due  to  the  large  increase  in  non-metallic 
productions.  The  metallic  products  show  a  decrease  of  from  $642,258,584 
in  1902  to  $624,318,008  in  1903,  a  loss  of  $17,940,576. 

The  non-metallic  products  showed  an  increase  from  $617,251,154  in 
1902  to  $794,403,561  in  1903,  a  gain  of  $177,152,407.  To  these  products 
should  be  added  estimated  unspecified  products,  including  building,  mold- 
ing and  other  sands,  molybdenum  and  other  mineral  products,  valued  at 
$1,000,000,  making  the  total  mineral  production  for  1903  $1,419,721,569. 
The  gold  production  was  $73,591,700,  and  silver  54,300,000  ounces  of 
$29,322,000  commercial  value. 

The  detailed  report  of  the  geological  survey  for  1903  is  as  follows: 

METALLIC. 

Quantity.  Value. 

Pig  iron,  spot  value,  long  tons..  18,009,252             $    344,350,000 

Silver,  coining  value,  troy  ounces  54,300,000  70,206,060 

Golcf,   coining  value,  troy  ounces  3,560,000  73,591,700 

Copper,  value  N.  Y.,  pounds 698,044,517  91,506,006 

Lead,  value  N.  Y.,  short  tons....  280,000  23,520,000 

Zinc,  value  N.  Y.,  short  tons 159,219  16,717,995 

Quicksilver,  value   S.   F.,  flasks..  35,620  1,544,934 

Aluminum,   value    Pittsburg,   Ibs.  7,500,000  2,284,900 

Antimony,  value  S.  F.,  short  tons  3,128  548,433 

Nickel,  value  Phila.,  pounds 114,200  45,900 

Platinum,  value  crude  S.  F.,  troy 

ounces 110  2,080 


Total  value  metallic  products  $    624,318,008 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


113 


NON-METALLIC    (SPOT    VALUES). 

Bituminous  coal,  short  tons 282,749,348  351,687,933 

Penn.    anthracite,    long    tons 6,613,454  152,036,448 

Natural  gas    35,815,360 

Petroleum,   barrels    100,461,337  94,694,050 

Brick  clay   15,000,000 

Cement,  barrels    29,899,140  31,931,341 

Stone    67,960,468 

Corundum  and  emery,  short  tons              2,542  64,102 

Crystalline   quartz,   short  tons...              8,938  76,908 
Garnet     for     abrasive     purposes, 

short   tons    3,950  132,500 

Grindstones 721,446 

Infusorial  earth  and  tripoli,,  short 

tons     9,219  76,273 

Millstones     52,552 

Oilstones,    etc.,    366,857 

Arseniois  oxide,  short  tons 611  36,696 

Borax,  crude,   short  tons 34,430  661,400 

Bromine,   pounds    598,500  167,580 

Fluorspar,  short  tons    42,523  213,617 

Gypsum,  short  tons 1,041,704  3,792,943 

Lithium,   short  tons 1,155  23,425 

Marls,   short   tons 34,211  22,521 

Phosphate   rock,   long   tons 1,581,576  5,319,294 

Pyrite  and  sulphur,  long  tons 233,127  1,109,818 

Salt,    barrels    18,968,089  5,286,988 

Barytes,  crude,  short  tons 50,397  152,150 

Cobalt  oxide,  pounds 120,000  228,000 

Mineral  paints,  short  tons 62,122  646,222 

Zinc  white,  short  tons 62,962  4,801,718 

Asbestos,   short   tons 887  16,760 

Asphaltum,    short    tons 101,255  1,005,446 

Bauxite,   long  tons 48,087  171,306 

Chromic  iron  ore,  long  tons 150  2,250 

Clay  (all  other  than  brick),  short 

tons     1,650,835  2,649,042 

Feldspar,    short   tons 41,891  256,733 

Fibrous    talc,    short   tons 60,230  421,600 

Flint,   short  tons 55,233  156,947 

Fuller's  earth,  short*  tons 20,693  190,277 

Glass  sand,  short  tons 823,044  855,828 

Graphite  crystalline,  pounds 4,538,155  

Graphite  amorphous,  short  tons.            16,591  225,554 

Limestone  for  iron  flux,  long  tons     12,029,719  5,423,732 

Magnesite,    short   tons 3,744  10,595 

Manganese  ore,  long  tons 2,825  25,335 

Mica,  sheet,  pounds    90,000  17,128 

Mica,  scrap,  short  tons 1,693  41,990 

Mineral  waters,  gallons  sold 51,242,757  9,041,078 

Monazite,   pounds    862,000  64,630 

Zircon,   pounds    3,000  570 

Precious   stones    321,400 

Pumice  stone,  short  tons 885  2,665 

Talc  and  soapstone,  short  tons...            26,671  418,460 
Uranium     and     vanadium,     short 

tons    *      19  5,625 


Total      value 
products 


non-metallic 


$    794,403,561 


114  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

Total  Forward .,  $794,403,561 

Total  value  metallic  prod- 
ucts    624,318,008 

Estimated  value  mineral 

products  unspecified  . .  1,000,000 


$1,419,721,569 

This  total  does  not  include  $6,000  worth  of  platinum  reported  as 
contained  in  slimes  from  copper  ore  from  the  Rambler  mine,  Wyom- 
ing; also  the  value  of  sixty  short  tons  of  cobalt  ore  produced  in  Idaho. 

These  figure  in  themselves  are  enormous,  but  they  were  increased 
in  1904  and  are  rapidly  increasing  in  1905.  The  report  of  the  mineral 
product  by  the  United  States  geological  survey  for  1904  has  not  yet 
appeared,  though  expected  at  any  time;  and  consequently  is  not  available 
for  this  paper.  However,  advanced  bulletins  have  been  given  out  rea- 
tive  to  certain  parts  thereof,  and  these  are  of  the  most  important 
products. 

GOLD    AND    SILVER. 

The  preliminary  figures  upon  the  production  of  gold  and  silver  in 
the  United  States  in  1904  submitted  to  the  director  of  the  mint  show: 

Value  of  Gold.  Fine  Ozs.  Silver. 

Alaska     $     9,000,000  $        184,200 

Arizona     4,250,000'  3,400,000 

California     19,000,000  1,380,000 

Idaho    1,960,000  7,000,000 

Colorado 26,000,000  12,500,000 

Kalnsas     9,700  97,40(0 

Montana     4,970,000  12,750,000 

Nevada    5,140,000  4,500,000 

New    Mexico    240,00  180,000 

North    Carolina    115,600  13,000 

Oregon    1,300,000  132,000 

South    Carolina    113,200  600 

South   Dakota    7,270,000  185,900 

Texas 454,400 

Utah     4,700,000  10,500,000 

Washington     310,000  200,000 

Wyoming    40,500  13,600 


Total     (not     including 

minor  states)  ...  $  84,551,300  $  53,603,000 

Klondike  10,300,000  

Nome  (increase  in 

Alaska)     4,878,500  40,300 

For  the  same  year,  I  find  that  there  was  a  very  large  commerce  in  the 
two  metals.     There  was:  • 

Gold    exported    $121,138,415 

Gold  imported   84,803,234 

Silver  exported    *50,312,745 

Silver  imported   26,087,042 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  115 

COPPER. 

Production,  812,537,267  pounds;  worth  $105,629,845. 

Imports   ore  and  matte 38,947,772  pounds 

Imports  bars  and  ingots 142,344,433  pounds 

Exports     564,544,880  pounds 

Consumed  in  United  States 485,284,592  pounds 

LEAD. 

Production  bar  lead,  307,000  short  tons,  worth  $26,402,000;  production 
soft  lead,  89,16'9  short  tons. 

SPELTER. 

Production,  186,702  short  tons,  worth  $18,670,200,  an  increase  over 
1903  of  2,700  tons. 

TIN. 

This  is  in  its  infancy,  but  promises  great  results  in  the  next  few 
years.  Forty-three  per  cent  of  the  world's  product  is  consumed  in  the 
United  States.  Production,  159  short  tons.  Imported,  40,832  short  tons, 
worth  $21,486,311,  principally  from  the  Malay  peninsula. 

PIG  IRON. 

Production,  1901  15,878,354  long  tons 

Production,  1902  17,821,307  long  tons 

Production,  1903  18,009,252  long  tons 

Production,  1904  16,497,033  long  tons 

The  falling  off  in  production  in  1904  is  attributed  to  the  lessening 
of  construction  work  on  the  reaction  from  the  boom  of  1902-3.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  United  States  can,  with  present  facilities,  produce 
23,000,000  tons  of  pig  iron  per  annum. 

COAL. 
Production,  1903.  Worth. 

Anthracite     66,613,454  long    tons         $152,036,448 

Bituminous     282,749,348  short  tons  351,687,933 


$503,724,381 
Production,  1904.  Worth. 

Anthracite     73,594,369  long    tons         

Bituminous    239,538,695  short  tons         

PETROLEUM. 

Production,  1903,  100,461,337  barrels,  worth  $94,694,050. 
Exports  of  mineral  oils  from  the  United  States,  1904-5: 

Crude  oil   100,661,199  gallons 

Napthas    29,117,361  gallons 

Illuminating    805,783,488  gallons 

Lubricating  and  paraffine  94,600,144  gallons 

Residuum     46,778,192  gallons 


1,076,940,384  gallons 
Valued  at  $77,073,296. 


116  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

This  must  suffice,  as  the  authentic  reports  are  not  as  yet  available, 
which  is  the  best  of  arguments  showing  the  necessity  for  a  department 
of  mines. 

There  are  various  other  matters  which  only  a  department  of  mines 
;md  mining  could  place  in  a  position  where  they  would  be  understood 
and  made  of  use,  not  alone  from  a  money  standpoint,  but  also  from  a 
standpoint  of  safety.  For  instance,  the  federal  mining  law,  so  far  as 
the  public  domain  is  concerned,  is  supreme,  but  every  state  has  gone  to 
work  and  made  a  lot  of  mining  laws  which,  though  they  always  specifi- 
cally state  "do  not  conflict  with  the  laws  of  the  federal  government,"  yet 
in  many  instances  do.  In  Oregon,  the  local  laws  are  different  from  those 
in  California,  and  so  it  is  everywhere.  There  should  be  one  mining 
code  of  laws,  governing  the  industry  all  over  the  country  and  in  its  colo- 
nies. Alluding  to  the  latter,  it  is  well  known  that  the  metallic  and  non- 
metallic  products  of  the  Philippines  could  be  vastly  increased  and 
exploited  with  profit,  if  there  were  any  mining  laws  for  the  islands;  these 
congress  has  so  far  failed  to  enact. 

Then,  again,  there  should  be  a  federal  supervision  of  mines  and 
mining.  In  some  states  there  is  no  supervision  at  all.  In  others,  there 
are  very  strict  laws.  In  one  state  a  mine  owner  is  liable  for  injuries 
sustained  from  the  manner  in  which  his  mine  is  worked.  In  an  adjacent 
state,  he  is  not  liable  for  anything  that  may.  happen.  Mine  accidents 
are  frequent,  especially  so  in  coal  mines. 

Another  point  is  mine  sanitation.  Many  of  you  are  doubtless 
familiar  with  the  untidy  and  unsanitary  conditions  of  many  mining  sec- 
tions that  you  have  visited.  Proper  federal  supervision  would  remedy 
this. 

The  collection  of  information  and  the  rapid  dissemination  of  the 
same  is  one  of  the  most  important  features  that  the  department  of  mines 
could  take  up.  For  instance,  a  new  mining  field  has  been  discovered.  An 
expert  from  the  department 'could  soon  run  over  it  and  determine  its 
geological  and  mineralogical  characteristics,  and  a  pamphlet  could  be 
issued  by  the  department  in  a  very  short  time,  which  would  enable  the 
owners  operating  in  that  district  to  develop  their  properties  on  well- 
known  geological  and  mineralogical  lines. 

Statistics  of  what  is  being  done  in  all  countries  under  similar  con- 
ditions could  also  be  collected  and  disseminated  for  the  benefit  of  the 
mining  world.  These  things  are  largely  done  by  many  mining  papers 
published  all  over  the  country,  but  they  do  not  reach  every  one.  They 
do  not  find  the  wide  circulation  they  merit  and  could  of  necessity  only 
be  read  by  the  limited  few.  The  department  of  mines,  with  its  bureaus 
of  geology,  mineralogy  and  metallurgy,  with  its  chemists  and  assayers, 
would  be  something  that  the  man  in  the  mountains  and  the  manager  of 
the  great  furnace  plant  could  on  an  equal  basis  appeal  to  for  help  and 
advice  on  some  knotty  problem  that  had  come  up  to  baffle  him,  or  for 
impartial  arbitration.  The  well-known  coal  miners'  strike,  as  settled  by 
the  president,  would  indicate  that  a  wise  federal  supervision  would  avert 
much  trouble  and  loss.  Such  matters  could  be  referred  to  a  secretary  of 
mines,  with  the  advantage  that  he  would  have  a  right  to  undertake  a 
settlement,  thus  benefiting  the  parties  to  the  dispute  and  the  public. 

And  so  it  is  in  many  other  branches  of  the  industry.  We  have  at 
the  present  time  many  bureaus  related  to  mining,'  but  they  are  scattered 
under  so  many  heads  in  so  many  different  places,  having  in  no  instance 
a  common  chief,  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  know  which  way  to 
turn  for  help.  What  we  need  is  the  centralization  of  the  bureaus  in  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  in  the  department  of  the  interior,  in  the  depart- 
ment of  commerce  and  labor,  having  anything  to  do  with  the  mining 
industry  into  one  department,  presided  over  by  a  cabinet  officer.  Then 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  117 

and  then  only  will  the  mining  industry  rise  to  that  point  of  greatness 
which  belongs  to  it. 

Is  it  too  much  to  say  that  it  was  mining  that  started  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  country  on  its  career,  built  its  railroads,  wagon  roads,  its 
trails,  navigated  its  streams,  founded  its  cities  and  hamlets;  was  it  not 
the  excitement  for  gold  in  California  that  peopled  that  state  and  others? 
The  mineral  displays  of  this  exposition  bear  silent  but  impressive  testi- 
mony from  every  state  and  territory  to  the  preponderance  of  mining. 
There  is  hardly  a  man  on  this  coast  who  is  not  interested  in  mining. 
Does  not  one's  first  thought  associate  the  names  of  Montana,  Idaho, 
Nevada,  Utah,  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  California  with 
mining?  In  a  lesser  degree,  perhaps,  Oregon  and  Washington  come  to 
the  front;  but  their  magnificent  forests  have  for  the  time  overshadowed 
the  vast  mining  industry,  although  they  .are  not  a  whit  less  in  mineral 
resources  than  the  sister  states.  In  fact,  the  whole  population  of 
districts  and  counties  live  entirely  on  the  mining  industry.  And  what  do 
these  mines  produce?  Almost  everything — gold,  silver,  quicksilver,  cop- 
per, coal,  oil,  lime,  slate,  etc.  The  locomotives  that  haul  trains  out  of 
San  Francisco  do  so  with  the  aid  of  mineral  oil.  The  other  day  a  ship 
was  loaded  at  Tacoma  with  copper  from  the  local  smelter  for  China  and 
Japan.  So  one  might  go  on  and  enumerate  many  such  instances.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  there  are  thousands  of  mines  which  have  been  continu- 
ously worked  for  years  and  have  poured  a  steady  stream  of  metal  into 
the  marts  of  the  world  and  are  ever  increasingly  doing  so.  There  seems 
to  be  no  end  of  the  mineral  that  is  constantly  discovered  in  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  region.  Nevada,  with  its  old  work  done  on  the  Comstock 
Lode,  had  begun  to  fade  as  an  active  producer  of  gold  and  silver,  when 
suddenly  the  great  resources  of  Tonopah  and  Goldfield  and  other  places 
were  discovered  and  opened  up,  reviving  the  state  and  adding  vastly  to 
the  production  of  the  precious  metals. 

What  mining  needs  more  than  all  else  is  that  people  should  treat 
it  as  a  commercial  proposition,  the  same  as  they  would  any  other  branch 
of  business;  investigate  it  thoroughly  in  every  sense  of  the  word  by  the 
most  competent  authorities  at  hand;  and  henceforth  more  money  will  be 
made  out  of  mining  than  out  of  any  industry  in  the  country.  If  one  were 
to  contemplate  the  purchase  of  a  large  grocery  concern,  he  would  want 
to  know  every  detail  about  it,  and  would  put  experts  at  work  to  examine 
into  it.  When  the  final  report  was  in  his  hands,  he  would  then  decide  as 
to  whether  he  would  wish  to  make  the  purchase  or  not.  If  this  had 
always  been  done  by  mining  men,  we  would  not  have  had  the  many  wild 
cat  companies  and  the  many  swindles  that  have  been  perpetrated.  This 
applies  not  only  to  gold,  but  to  oil  or  any  other  kind  of  mining,  and 
nothing  will  so  help  and  aid  mining  investment  as  a  department  of 
mines  that  should  keep  on  file  accurate,  trustworthy  reports  of  produc- 
tion and  all  the  history  and  inner  workings  of  mining  properties,  avail- 
able to  all. 

What  we  want  principally  of  a  department  of  mines,  from  my  point 
of  view,  is  the  placing  of  the  industry  on  the  basis  where  it  shall  have  a 
reliable  and  representative  head  and  a  well  organized  force  devoted  to 
its  best  interests. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Is  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  now  ready 
to  report? 

The  chairman  of  the  committee  reported  progress,  and  stated 
that  the  committee  desired  to  hold  another  meeting  at  2  o'clock. 


118  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

Judge  Raker  of  the  Committee  on  Permanent  Organization 
stated  that  only  seven  members  out  of  twenty-three  were  present 
at  the  meeting  called  for  last  evening,  and  now  gave  notice  that 
another  meeting  would  be  held  immediately  after  the  adjournment 
of  this  session  of  the  Congress  in  the  Chapman  school  building,  and 
requested  all  members  of  the  committee  to  be  present. 

The  chairman  announced  that  a  meeting  of  the  Committee  on 
Revision  of  By-Laws  would  be  held  in  the  Auditorium  at  7:30  this 
evening,  and  that  at  8  o'clock  an  illustrated  lecture  on  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park  would  be  given  by  Mr.  Barry  Buckley,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  interior  department. 

The  chair  announced  that  under  the  regular  By-Laws  the  selec- 
tion of  a  place  for  holding  the  next  session  should  be  held  this  after- 
noon at  4  o'clock;  but  as  there  would  be  no  afternoon  session,  it 
was  desirable  that  it  be  made  a  special  order. 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS  of  Colorado  moved  that  the  matter  of  selec- 
tion of  a  place  for  holding  the  next  session  of  the  Congress  be  made 
a  special  order  for  tomorrow  morning  at  10  o'clock. 

The  motion  was  seconded  and  it  was  so  ordered. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  next  address  on  the  program  is  by  Mr. 
E.  J.  Benjamin,  president  of  the  California  State  Mining  Associa- 
tion, on  the  subject  of  mines,  mining,  and  a  department  of  mines.  I 
take  pleasure  in  introducing  Mr.  Benjamin.  (Applause.) 

MR.  BENJAMIN: 

ADDRESS  OF  EDWARD   H.   BENJAMIN,   PRESIDENT  OF  THE 
CALIFORNIA  MINERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Convention — I  feel  somewhat  like  an  ordinary  soldier 
talking  of  war  to  Hannibal,  when  I  address  you  upon  the  subject  that 
has  been  so  ably  discussed  by  President  Richards  and  Colonel  Draper 
this  morning.  But  the  association  of  California,  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  represent  as  its  President,  was  the  first  organization  in  this  country 
that  took  up  the  proposition  and  advanced  the  matter  of  establishing  a 
cabinet  department  of  mines  and  mining.  In  its  second  convention,  held 
in  San  Francisco  in  1893,  a  committee  was  reported  to  draft  a  report  to 
be  presented  at  the  next  annual  meeting  looking  towards  the  establish- 
ment of  this  very  much  desired  department.  Through  the  efforts  of  the 
California  Miners'  Association  there  was  introduced  in  the  fifty-fifth 
congress  a  bill  known  as  House  Resolution  No.  5861,  in  the  interest  of 
this  department;  so  I  feel  that,  although  this  question  has  been  consid- 
erably discussed,  the  miners  of  California  have  a  few  words  to  say  about 
it.  What  I  have  to  say  I  have  reduced  to  writing,  and  beg  to  read  it 
to  you: 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  119 

AN  ARGUMENT  IN  FAVOR  OF  ESTABLISHING  A  DEPARTMENT  OF  MINES  AND  MINING. 

The  administration  of  government,  the  development  of  great  nat- 
ural resources,  the  multiplying  and  diversifying  of  various  industries  and 
the  problem,  "How  can  we  , expand  and  increase  our  commercial  rela- 
tions with  other  nations?"  are  the  ever-present,  practical  questions  that 
come  home  to  the  fireside,  and  to  the  bosom  of  man. 

In  the  first  address  delivered  by  Henry  Clay  in  the  United  States 
senate  in  1810,  he  said:  "The  three  great  subjects  that  claim  the  atten- 
tion of  the  national  legislature  are  the  interests  of  agriculture,  commerce 
and  manufactures,"  and  history  tells  us  that  these  three  great  subjects 
have  received  the  attention  their  importance  merited. 

Should  we  consider  the  United  States  only  according  to  its  geogra- 
phy, as  explored,  developed  and  mapped  one  hundred  years  ago,  per- 
haps these  three  great  subjects  would  still  be  all  that  were  necessary 
for  consideration;  but  when  we  contemplate  our  country  as  it  is  today, 
the  greatest  and  grandest  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  populated 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  and  embracing,  not  only  the  wonder- 
land, Alaska,  but  the  Hawaiian  and  Philippine  Islands,  may  we  not  justly 
say  that  there  are  other  subjects  and  other  industries  that  should  claim 
the  attention  of  our  national  legislature? 

When  the  immortal  Washington  was  president,  it  was  considered 
sufficient  that  there  should  be  four  great  departments  of  government, 
and  their  affairs  were  administered  by  four  cabinet  officers — the  secretary 
of  foreign  affairs,  afterwards  called  the  secretary  of  state;  the  secretary 
of  the  treasury,  the  secretary  of  war  and  the  secretary  of  law,  or  the  attor- 
ney general.  Thus,  in  the  infancy  of  our  Republic,  its  needs  and  demands 
were  amply  served  by  these  four  departments;  but  the  nation,  as  gov- 
erned by  Washington,  comprising  only  the,  narrow  strip  of  territory 
along  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  has  since  then  expanded,  until  today  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific  are  almost  in  the  center  of  our  amphitheater  of 
activity,  expanded  until  we  have  taken  in  Alaska,  that  great  domain 
which  Seward  predicted  would  some  day  be  the  seat  of  civilization; 
expanded  until  we  have  embraced  Hawaii;  expanded  until  by  blood  and 
courage,  and  treasure,  the  Philippines  are  ours;  expanded  until  we  have 
the  best  of  the  Samoan  group,  Porto  Rica  and  Guam,  and  a  little  strip 
of  land  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  that  will  soon  be  channelled  by 
an  immense  canal,  connecting  the  two  great  oceans  and  giving  us  mas- 
tery over  the  commerce  of  the  world;  expanded  until  we  have  become  a 
powerful  nation,  far-reaching  in  beneficent  influence,  engrossed  with 
many  international  problems,  calling  for  and  demanding  the  highest 
order  of  statesmanship;  and  our  necessities  have  kept  pace  with  our 
growth. 

If  Washington  could  resume  his  seat  as  chief  executive  of  our  nation 
today,  he  would  find  a  far  different  state  of  affairs  than  when  he  con- 
ferred with  Thomas  Jefferson,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Edmund  Randolph 
and  John  Knox. 

Our  government  has  been  one  of  evolution;  as  the  country  has 
grown,  our  departments  have  been  enlarged  to  meet  requirements.  Dur- 
ing the  administration  of  John  Adams  the  duties  of  the  secretary  of  war 
were  divided  and  the  department  of  navy  was  established,  with  the  secre- 
tary of  the  navy  at  its  head.  In  the  administration  of  Andrew  Jackson,  a 
name  that  is  dear  to  every  American  heart,  the  postoffice  department 
was  established,  and  the  postmaster  general  became  a  member  of  the 
national  family.  On  the  third  day  of  March,  1849,  during  Tyler's 
administration,  the  department  of  the  interior  was  created  by  act  of  con^- 
gress.  Its  creation  had  Jpecome  a  necessity.  The  other  departments 
provided  ample  means  for  the  administration  of  foreign  and  internal 
affairs,  as  related  to  finance,  war  or  the  transmission  of  mails.  But  in 


120  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

the  great  industrial  needs  of  a  rapidly  growing  country,  mining,  agricul- 
ture and  commerce  were  left  without  any  specific  governmental  aid  or 
encouragement,  save  such  as  now  and  then  emanated  from  some  bureau 
or  minor  branch  of  one  of  the  already  created  executive  departments. 
Thus  the  interior  department  became  one  of  dire  necessity.  To  it  was 
entrusted  all  governmental  affairs  relating  to  the  general  land  office,  the 
patent  office,  the  Indian  office,  the  pension  office,  the  census  office,  the 
bureau  of  education,  the  bureau  of  railroads,  the  affairs  of  agriculture, 
the  geological  survey,  and  all  the  numerous  other  matters  relating  to 
the  pressing  demands  of  a  rapid,  industrial  development.  The  require- 
ments of  the  hour  were  satisfied,  the  perplexing  question  that  had  pre- 
sented itself  to  congress  seemed  to  be  happily  solved.  Little,  however, 
did  the  statesmen  of  fifty  years  ago  dream  of  the  marvelous  changes  that 
would  be  wrought  during  the  next  half  century.  The  questions  which 
they  then  considered  gave  them  no  adequate  conception  of  the  task  they 
had  imposed  upon  the  new  executive  department. 

The  mining  industry  at  that  time  was,  comparatively,  unimportant. 
The  law  makers  at  Washington  knew  little  of  the  mineral  resources  of 
America,  gave  them  scant  attention,  and  at  the  time  of  the  creation  of 
the  interior  department  it  was  not  intended  to  be  of  any  special  benefit 
to  the  mining  industry.  But  since  then,  mark  the  change!  From  a 
small,  unimportant  industry,  that  of  mining  has  become  one  of  the  great 
•wealth-producing  factors  of  the  nation.  From  an  annual  yield  of  fifty 
years  ago  vso  modest  that  the  public  mind  scarcely  gave  it  a  thought, 
the  mineral  production  of  America  has  long  since  passed  the  billion 
dollar  mark.  The  annual  yield  of  coal  has  increased  from  less  than 
4,000,000  tons  in  1849  to  350,000,000  tons  in  1903.  Iron  has  increased 
from  600,000  tons  in  1850  to  20,000,000  tons  in  1904.  Lead  from  18,000 
to  280,000  tons  in  the  same  period  of  time,  and  copper  from  less  than 
1,000  tons  to  over  700,000,000  pounds  annually,  and  the  demand  is  increas- 
ing so  rapidly  that  the  large  manufacturers  of  copper  utilities  are  seeking 
their  own  mines  for  a  source  of  production.  So  it  has  been  throughout 
the  long  line  of  mineral  products  of  this  wonderful  country,  in  which  is 
mined  and  marketed  sixty-three  commercial  mineral  substances,  besides' 
gold  and  silver.  And  when  we  come  to  those  precious  metals,  we  have  a 
story  equally  as  marvelous.  The  annual  yield  of  gold  has  advanced  from  less 
than  $5,000,000  in  1848  to  over  $80,000,000  in  1904.  The  production  of  silver 
in  commercial  quantities  began  within  the  memory  of  the  present  generation, 
yet  its  output  in  1904  was  over  $70,000,000  from  mines  that  are  seemingly 
inexhaustible.  When  we  view  the  mining  industry  of  our  country  as  a 
whole,  our  amazement  grows  intense,  and  statistics  become  almost  incredible 
and  bewildering.  The  miners  themselves  have  not  fully  appreciated  the 
stupendous  magnitude  of  the  industry  in  which  they  are  engaged,  or  the  im- 
portant part  it  plays  in  our  national  affairs ;  nor  has  the  public  realized  its 
marvelous  growth  and  value. 

Take  the  last  ten  years  for  example :  In  1894  the  mineral  production  of 
the  United  States,  as  reported  by  Dr.  David  T.  Day,  of  the  United  States 
•Geological  Survey,  was  something  over  $520,000,000;  in  1895,  $620,000,000; 
in  1896,  $622,000,000;  in  1897,  $631,000,000;  in  1898,  $698,000,000;  in  1899, 
owing  to  the  advance  in  iron  and  copper,  it  jumped  to  over  $970,000,000;  in 
1900,  it  passed  the  billion  dollar  mark,  and  has  rapidly  increased,  until  in 
1904,  it  exceeded  $1,500,000,000,  an  increase  of  almost  one  billion  dollars  in 
annual  production  over  that  of  1894,  and  in  proportionate  ratio  will  exceed 
two  billion  dollars  annually  in  the  next  three  years.  And  yet,  my  friends, 
the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  this  gigantic  industry  is  still  in  the  back- 
ground, as  it  was  in  the  days  of  '49,  occupying  very  subordinate  positions  in 
the  affairs  of  three  departments  but  poorly  equipped  to  cope  with  its  daily 
needs. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  121 

In  no  other  industry  of  the  world  has  there  been  such  rapidity  of  de- 
velopment, and  in  no  other  are  future  possibilities  greater.  When  other  in- 
dustries have  failed,  mining  has  plodded  along;  it  has  been  the  mainstay  of 
hard  times  and  the  backbone  of  industrial  energy ;  it  has  quickened  every 
avenue  of  trade,  and  raised  our  nation  to  a  degree  of  independence  unpar- 
alleled in  the  world;  it  has  supported  alike,  factory  and  farm,  and  has  been 
the  surest  ally  and  safest  friend  of  commerce.  Nor  is  this  all.  It  is  to  the 
credit  of  the  mining  industry  that  in  the  hour  of  our  nation's  darkest  peril, 
in  that  terrible  siege  of  the  Civil  War,  the  waning  credit  of  the  nation  was 
sustained  by  the  enormous  yield  of  gold  from  that  greatest  of  all  her  West- 
ern states,  California. 

Prior  to  the  thirty-ninth  congress,  the  mines  of  the  country  were  in 
jeopardy,  several  bills  had  been  introduced  in  previous  sessions,  making  pro- 
vision for  government  ownership  of  the  mines  and  the  use  of  their  product 
to  pay  the  national  debt. 

It  was  not  until  1899  that  the  Department  of  Agriculture  was  estab- 
lished, although  its  need  had  long  been  recognized,  and  the  farmer  had  been 
for  years  in  the  same  predicament  as  the  miner;  but  he  protested,  and  he 
had  a  right  to  protest.  He  did  more :  He  appealed,  he  petitioned,  and  he 
agitated,  and  he  persisted  in  his  efforts  until  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
was  established.  And  what  has  been  the  result  ?  It  would  be  idle  for  me 
to  attempt  to  tell  you,  for  you  all  know  full  well  the  benefits  that  have  come 
to  all  engaged  in  agriculture  through  the  splendid  work  of  the  department 
devoted  solely  to  its  advancement.  No  one  today  questions  the  wisdom  of 
making  the  secretary  of  agriculture  a  member  of  the  President's  cabinet. 
But  if  agriculture  presented  complex  problems  to  solve,  mining  and  the  great 
mineral  industries  present  equally  great,  if  not  greater  ones,  and  our  gov- 
ernment can  well  afford  to  establish  a  department  of  mines  and  mining,  to 
aid  and  encourage  an  industry  that  has  done,  is  doing,  and  will  continue  to 
do,  so  much  for  the  country,  and  upon  which  the  future  of  our  prosperity  so 
largely  depends.  How  shall  this  aid  be  extended?  The  first  consideration 
is  unity  of  action,  a  system  with  one  controlling  head,  from  which  uniformity 
of  results  must  necessarily  follow. 

The  Department  of  Mines  and  Mining  should  take  up  the  question  of 
the  classification  and  segregation  of  the  mineral  land  from  the  agricultural, 
and  the  disposition  of  mineral  lands  to  the  miner  on  an  equal  basis  with 
the  farmer. 

It  should  formulate  and  secure  the  passage  of  laws  which  would  be  ad- 
vantageous to  the  mining  industry  in  all  its  branches,  without  doing  wrong  or 
injury  to  other  industries.  It  should  take  over  the  Geological  Survey  and  ex- 
tend and  broaden  its  field  of  usefulness.  It  should  acquire  and  distribute  a 
vast  fund  of  practical,  sensible,  useful  information  on  all  subjects  relative 
to  mining,  and  be  in  a  position  to  take  up  all  questions  of  mining  and 
metallurgy. 

With  a  department  of  mines  and  mining,  the  prospectors  and  miners 
throughout  the  country  would  be  certain  to  receive  more  consideration  at 
the  hands  of  the  government.  At  present  they  are  rather  more  ignored 
than  encouraged  in  the  pursuit  of  their  chosen  occupation.  Both  the  moun- 
tainous and  desert  regions  of  the  United  States  are  brought  to  a  productive 
stage  by  the  efforts  of  the  miners  alone.  There  is  no  encouragement  for 
men  in  other  occupations  to  settle  up  such  regions  or  to  develop  them.  That 
the  government  desires  to  have  such  lands  settled  and  made  productive  is 
shown  by  the  present  activity  of  the  Reclamation  branch  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey,  which  is  building  dams,  reservoirs  and  irrigation  ditches 
in  the  arid  regions,  to  make  the  adjacent  land  worth  purchasing  and  worth 
cultivating.  The  miners  have  long  been  using  such  areas,  as  well  as  the 
mountain  ones,  without  any  such  federal  aid.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of 
instances  might  be  cited  did  time  and  space  permit. 


122  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

The  government  has  always  shown  a  very  decided  tendency  to  aid  the 
agriculturists  in  any  way,  but  the  miners  have  actually  had  to  fight  for  their 
rights  and  overcome  the  difficulties  as  best  they  might;  whenever  there  have 
been  contests  between  the  farmer  and  minej,  in  the  land  offices,  the  United 
States  courts  or  the  federal  departments,  the  miner  has  been  given  the 
"short  end."  The  miner  is  forced  to  pay  $2.50  an  acre  for  his  land,  and  the 
farmer  gets  his  for  $1.25  or  just  half  price.  The  miner  is  allowed  to  locate 
20-acre  tracts  and  the  farmer  160  acres. 

It  is  little  or  no  trouble  to  get  a  patent  for  agricultural  land,  but  it  takes 
money,  a  year  or  two  of  time,  and  much  annoyance,  to  get  a  mining  patent. 
The  miner  has  to  prove  and  disprove  all  kinds  of  things  in  connection  with 
his  title,  all  the  burden  of  proof  being  placed  upon  him  in  applications  and 
contests.  The  farmer  can  locate  any  kind  of  land  in  any  way  and  has  not 
got  to  prove  that  it  will  raise  cabbages,  wheat,  or  anything  else.  The  miner 
with  his  land  must  prove  to  the  government  in  advance  that  it  is  more  val- 
uable for  mining  than  agriculture,  and  must  actually  show  the  mineral  in 
advance  of  getting  government  title,  and  it  must  be  paying  mineral,  too,  as 
if  it  were  any  of  the  government's  business  whether  he  lost  money  or  not 
when  he  bought  the  land.  When  a  miner  has  to  run  a  two  or  three  thousand 
foot  bedrock  tunnel  to  tap  a  gravel  channel  lying  500  or  1000  feet  under  a 
lava-capped  divide,  as  they  do  in  the  drift  mines  of  California,  how  can 
he  prove  existence  of  auriferous  gravel,  or  its  value,  until  he  finishes  his 
tunnel  ?  Yet  the  government  will  not  recognize  his  mining  locations  until 
he  does  prove  it.  It  takes  two  to  five  years  to  run  one  of  these  bedrock 

IUH    }S9JO£[    3^U    UQ       'SUO[   }99J    pU^SnOL[J    U9A9S    JO   XIS   UI9t{}   JO   9UIOS    'SJ9UU11J 

divide  in  California  there  are  tunnels  in  the  drift  mines  over  five  miles  in 
length.  Is  it  not  probable  that  a  secretary  of  mines  and  mining  could  readily 
prove  to  the  President  and  his  advisers  in  the  cabinet  that  the  laws  and 
rulings  of  the  departments  enforcing  such  requirements  are  absurd  and  non- 
sensical and  that  they  should  be  repealed? 

Commerce,  agriculture,  the  army,  the  navy,  and  other  branches  of  in- 
dustry get  what  they  need,  but  the  miner,  who  is  turning  out  fifteen  hundred 
million  of  dollars  a  year,  in  bolstering  up  the  credit  of  the  nation  with  the 
only  thing  that  will  do  it,  is  absolutely  unrecognized.  The  new  Department 
of  Commerce  looks  after  the  transportation  problem  of  mining  product;  but 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  products  themselves,  or  the  miners,  either.  The 
Interior  Department  and  the  Land  Office,  which  are ,  mainly  interested  in 
agriculture,  have  all  to  say  about  mining,  but  treat  it  as  a  side  issue  only. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  results  of  the  miners'  work  are  increasing 
many  millions  yearly,  thus  proving  the  permanence  and  rapid  growth  of  the 
industry,  it  has  thus  far  been  impossible  to  convince  congresss  that  there 
should  be  a  secretary  of  mining. 

The  mining  bureaus  of  the  several  states  accomplish  much  good  and 
are  valuable  adjuncts  in  the  development  of  the  mineral  industry  and  the 
promotion  of  mining  interests  in  general.  Their  respective  fields  of  labor, 
however,  are  bounded  by  state  lines,  and  united  action,  under  such  condi- 
tions, can  scarcely  be  expected.  No  efficient  means  for  interchange  of 
methods  or  results  can  be  devised  without  some  central  point  towards  which 
will  flow,  and  from  which  will  come,  all  beneficial  information.  Only  by 
means  of  a  national  bureau  can  these  requirements  be  accomplished,  and  a 
competent,  complete  and  harmonious  system  be  evolved  from  the  present 
incomplete  and  isolated  system  of  the  several  states.  It  is  equally  clear  that 
the  bureau  sought  to  be  established  should  have  as  its  head  a  member  of 
the  President's  cabinet,  who  would  at  once  have  the  ear  of  congress  and  the 
confidence  of  the  President. 

Congress  meets  periodically  and  has  such  a  multitude  of  questions  to 
consider  that  it  is  almost  a  matter  of  impossibility  for  a  member  to  secure 
recognition  for  any  bill  introduced  in  the  interests  of  the  mining  industry, 
while  the  head  of  a  department  of  mines  and  mining,  were  he  a  member  of 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  123 

the  cabinet,  where  the  policy  of  the  country  is  constantly  being  discussed 
and  considered,  would  be  in  a  position  to  demand  of  congress  such  laws 
as  might  be  necessary,  and  his  rulings  in  all  matters  relative  to  mining 
matters  would  be  final. 

The  contradictory  rulings  by  officials  who  are  not  to  be  blamed  for  not 
knowing  anything  of  the  matter  upon  which  they  are  ruling,  the  construction 
of  the  law  by  one  officer,  in  direct  conflict  with  the  construction  of  the  same 
law  by  another  officer,  the  clash  of  official  authority  and  the  evident  em- 
barrassment which  such  work  entails  upon  the  office  in  which  it  originates, 
are  all  matters  of  public  knowledge  and  regret.  At  present  the  only  direct 
connection  our  government  has  with  its  great  basic  industry  is  through  a 
subordinate  official  in  the  General  Land  Office,  the  General  Land  Office 
itself  occupying  a  subordinate  position  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 
and  every  one,  at  all  familiar  with  the  subject,  knows  the  lamentable  result 
of  such  inadequate  representation. 

The  importance  of  the  mining  industry  demands  that  the  nation's  chief 
executive  should  at  all  times  be  able  to  command  the  best  and  fullest  infor- 
mation relative  to  its  needs,  and  in  no  way  could  this  be  so  well  accomplished 
as  through  an  executive  department,  whose  chief  officer  was  admitted  to  the 
counsels  of  the  President's  official  family.  Nor  should  the  work  thus  briefly 
indicated  be  left  to  any  subordinate  branch  of  any  existing  department.  The 
Treasury  Department  furnishes  statistical  information  of  great  value.  The 
Interior  Department,  through  that  splendid  institution,  the  United  States  Geo- 
logical Survey,  renders  great  aid.  And  other  departments  also  help,  but 
none  of  them,  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  can  devote  the  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  mining  industry  which  its  importance  demands  and  requires. 
And  why  should  the  affairs  of  this  vitally  important  industry  be  divided 
and  scattered  through  several  departments,  when  infinitely  better  results 
would  follow  were  they  confined  to  one  head? 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  government  to  see  that  the  sources  of  national 
wealth  are  not  wasted.  Millions  upon  millions  have  been  irretrievably  lost 
by  reason  of  neglect  that  has  resulted  from  lack  of  knowledge  and  condi- 
tions that  could  and  should  have  been  furnished  by  a  representative  such 
as  we  urge.  Its  cost  would  be  trivial  in  comparison  with  its  benefit,  and 
purely  as  a  business  proposition,  there  is  nothing  before  the  American  peo- 
ple today  sounder  in  policy,  or  more  appropriate,  than  the  creation  of  this 
department.  It  is  not  a  local  question;  it  affects  the  entire  nation.  It  is  as 
broad  in  its  scope  as  the  geographical  limits  of  our  whole  country.  Every- 
where it  is  mentioned  spring  up  friends  and  earnest  advocates,  for  everyone 
realizes  how  necessary  it  is  that  the  industry  which  lies  at  the  base  of  the 
nation's  prosperity,  and  which  upholds  all  other  industries,  should  have  an 
appropriate  guardian  and  representative  in  the  nation's  cabinet. 

It  seems  almost  an  idle  waste  of  words  to  argue  the  wisdom  of  estab- 
lishing this  proposed  department.  It  may  be  said  that  it  is  easier  to  ask  than 
to  obtain.  That  is  true.  It  may  be  said  that  congress  is  burdened  with  a 
multiplicity  of  questions ;  that  is  quite  true.  It  may  be  said  that  an  avalanche, 
a  wild,  surging  torrent  of  bills  of  every  conceivable  nature  rushes  down  upon 
congress  at  every  session.  Unfortunately  that  is  also  true.  It  may  be  true 
that  every  congressman  desires  an  appropriation  for  every  stream  that  mean- 
ders through  his  district,  and  hence  will  not  pay  heed  to  our  needs  or  de- 
mands. It  may  be  true,  that  there  are  ten  thousand  different  things,  great 
and  small,  to  engage  and  engross  the  time  and  attention  of  congress,  and 
that  it  will  be  difficult  to  obtain  a  hearing.  But,  my  friends,  admitting  and 
conceding  all  this  to  be  true,  let  us  follow  the  example  of  the  farmer,  and 
keep  on  asking,  keep  on  petitioning,  keep  on  protesting,  until  we  convince 
and  assure  congress  of  the  justice,  of  the  necessity  of  the  department  we 
ask  for. 

Upon  the  prosperity  of  the  mineral  industry  permanently  rests  the  pros- 
perity of  the  country.  Anything  that  tends  to  foster  and  encourage  this  in- 


124  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

dustry  is  within  the  province  and  should  be  a  part  of  the  purpose  of  a  well- 
regulated  government,  of  whatever  form  it  may  be.  The  value  and  extent 
of  the  various  mining  industries  of  this  nation  are  of  sufficient  importance 
to  justify  the  creation  of  a  position  in  the  cabinet.  The  miners  are  put  off 
from  year  to  year.  The  only  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to  keep  hammering  and 
hammering  at  the  doors  of  congress  until  they  finally  get  rid  of  the  noise 
by  giving  us  what  we  want.  Petitions  and  memorials  and  resolutions  are 
pigeon-holed  from  session  to  session.  When  these  holes  are  all  filled,  if  we 
still  continue  to  make  a  noise  and  keep  on  making  it  louder,  we  may  finally 
succeed.  I  want  to  see  our  government  enter  upon  this  work,  and  let  it  be 
confided  to  a  secretary  of  mines  and  mining. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  I  want  to  introduce  Mr.  C.  B.  Boothe  of 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
National  Irrigation  Congress,  who  has  an  announcement  to  make 
that  will  be  of  interest,  I  am  sure,  to  all  of  you. 

MR.  BOOTHE  announced  the  opening  of  the  National  Irrigation 
Congress  on  the  following  Monday,  continuing  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, and  Thursday,  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  sitting  in  five  sec- 
tions, namely:  Forestry,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Gifford  Pinchot,  chief 
forester  of  the  United  States;  second,  production  of  irrigation,  in 
charge  of  Dr.  A.  C.  True,  director  of  experimental  stations  of  the 
agricultural  department  at  Washington ;  third,  engineering  and 
mechanics,  in  charge  of  Mr.  F.  H.  Newell,  chief  engineer  of  the 
United  States  reclamation  service;  fourth,  climatology,  in  charge  of 
Mr.  Williams,  the  acting  head  of  the  Weather  Bureau;  and  fifth, 
rural  settlement,  which  will  be  in  charge  of  Mr.  Charles  W.  Eberline 
of  San  Francisco. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  next  paper  on  the  program  is  an  ad- 
dress by  Mr.  Loveland  of  San  Francisco,  on  the  subject  of  home 
manufactures. 

MR.  LOVELAND  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  have  temporarily  yielded  my 
time  to  Dr.  Grant. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  I  have  great  pleasure  in  announcing  that 
the  next  paper,  Mr.  Loveland  having  given  way,  will  be  by  Dr. 
Roland  D.  Grant  of  Vancouver,  B.  C.,  who  has  been  especially  re- 
quested by  the  Executive  Committee  to  come  to  this  Congress  and 
present  this  paper  at  this  time.  The  speaker  of  course  finds  his 
larger  audience  in  the  publication  of  the  proceedings.  (Applause.) 

DR.  GRANT: 

AMERICAN   SCENERY. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen— As  I  view  this  diminishing  audience,  I  am 
thinking  of  the  doctrine  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest ;  of  how  many  of  you 
have  lived  through  to  this  time.  You  have  done  well.  I  would  have  been 
exceedingly  happy  had  I  the  privilege  of  devoting  a  goodly  time  to  the  topic 
which  is  to  me  so  intensely  interesting ;  but  you  know  that  you  cannot  tell 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  125 

so  very  much  about  public  speakers.  An  Irishman  was  about  to  buy  a  clock, 
when  the  man  selling  it  said :  "There  is  one  I  think  you  would  like  very 
much ;  that  clock  will  run  eight  days  without  winding."  "Well,"  replied  the 
Irishman,  "how  long  do  you  think  it  would  run  if  you  should  wind  it?" 
Now,  I  wish  to  read  you  this  paper,  and  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  reading, 
but  this  topic  demands  it,  and  I  am  going  to  do  it  as  if  it  were  a  religious 
service,  and  ask  the  people  coming  in  if  they  will  please  come  forward,  not 
for  prayers,  but  that  I  may  have  the  privilege  of  seeing  you,  as  I  hear 
a  man  outside  calling  dinner,  and  mighty  few  men  can  stand  on  this  platform 
and  talk  at  this  hour,  while  you  hear  a  call  to  dinner. 

Scenery  is  the  pictured  page  of  the  volume  of  travel.  The  magazine 
must  be  illustrated  to  sell,  so  must  the  volume  of  journeyings.  If  there  are 
two  trails,  one  leading  over  the  treeless  plain,  and  the  other  through  the 
shaded  woods,  the  open  path  will  be  little  worn.  In  variety  there  is  both  spice 
and  rest ;  and  scenery  is  variety,  the  absence  of  wearying  monotone,  some- 
thing new  before  the  old  has  paled.  The  world  looks  ever  for  novelties. 
Barnum  knew  this,  and  beginning  with  one  elephant,  ended  with  a  drove, 
and  had  he  lived,  would  have  had  one  red,  white  and  blue.  Sustained  effort, 
even  of  enjoyment,  is  painful,  and  we  must  have  things  in  vaudeville  to  run 
the  show  very  long. 

God  appealed  to  this  element  in  man  when  he  encouraged  Israel  that 
they  should  leave  the  dead  level  of  Egypt  and  go  to  the  Promised  Land. 
The  language  even  is  full  of  scenery,  when  he  said,  "The  land  whither  ye  go 
to  possess  it  is  a  land  of  hills  and  valleys,  and  drinketh  the  water  of  the  rain 
of  heaven."  This  was  a  case  of  the  Divine  advertising  a  scenic  route;  and 
the  Jew  has  ever  looked  with  loving  eyes  upon  the  beautiful  hills  of 
Palestine. 

In  all  Bible  history  the  heart  of  man  has  turned  to  the  inspiration  of 
hills  and  woods  and  valleys,  and  the  greatest  items  of  past  life  have  been 
among  the  wild  and  lofty  heights  where  silence  is  eloquent.  The  law  of  God 
could  not  have  been  received  apart  from  rugged  Sinai,  and  Noah's  limited 
marine  excursion  terminated  on  Mount  Ararat. 

The  value  of  pleasant  scenery  is  impressed  upon  you  when  paying  double 
price  for  a  front  room  at  the  hotel.  Lately,  however,  wise  landlords  so 
build  as  to  have  all  front  rooms,  and  no  back-alley  windows  They  plant 
ferns,  flowers  and  palms  in  the  court,  and  patrons  pay  double  for  the  room 
because  of  the  view  of  something  green. 

Many  railroads  also  have  offered  prizes  to  station  and  section  men  to 
beautify  the  grounds,  so  as  to  give  pleasure  and  rest  to  the  guests  of  the  road. 
In  some  places  for  miles  roads  have  planted  vines  and  shrubs,  to  hide  de- 
formities and  deaden  sound.  Surely  a  city  without  a  scenic  park  would  sink 
to  barbarfsm.  These  all  tell  the  philosophy  of  scenery.  Let  them  be  well 
considered  as  a  basis  of  its  intrinsic  value. 

THE    SCHOOL    OF    TRAVEL. 

The  coming  university  is  to  be  upon  wheels.  The  people  are  moving 
from  departmnt  to  department  of  the  earth,'  which  is  the  campus  .of  that 
university,  and  they  are  studying  more  and  more  from  original  sources  the 
science  of  nature.  The  love  of  the  beautiful  in  form  and  color  is  the  ultimate 
in  all  art,  and  the  world  is  on  the  wing  to  see  these  in  the  great  gallery  of 
travel.  We  cannot  all  own  an  original  Turner  or  Claude  Loraine  landscape, 
but  all  can  see  and  admire,  and  in  that  way  own  an  original  landscape  among 
the  White  Hills  of  New  Hampshire,  which  is  divinely  more  beautiful. 

Oh,  how  a  wild  confusion  of  hill  and  vale  and  crag  and  tree  fall  into  a 
most  charming  harmony,  like  a  bouquet  of  wild  flowers,  that  nothing  can  im- 
prove. You  can  never  rearrange  a  bouquet  of  wild  flowers  picked  at  random, 
as  it  has  the  virgin  charm  all  its  own. 


126  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

It  is  often  equally  true  that  in  improving  scenery  it  is  rather  ruined, 
and  for  that  reason  the  real  lover  of  nature-art  leaves  the  improved  for  the 
untouched  tangle  of  peak  and  glacier. 

As  it  is,  most  of  the  older  world  has  now  been  smoothed  over  and 
"fixed  up,"  so  that  the  numberless  legions  who  long  for  fresh  worlds  to  con- 
quer must  turn  to  our  new  land  of  promise.  They  are  coming  here  to  this 
"land  of  hills  and  valleys"  of  exhaustless  beauty.  The  call  of  the  wild  is 
now  being  heard  by  millions,  and  it  must  lead  them  to  seek  it  on  this  con- 
tinent, where  the  trails  are  not  yet  wide  enough  for  two.  They  are  turning 
away  from  the  old  broad  roads  where  marts  of  business  crowd  the  thorough- 
fare, or  from  where  the  foreign  tourist  has  his  hard-beaten  path. 

Here  with  us  are  pastures  new  for  that  throng  who  feed  on  the  higher 
peaks  and  wilder  pinnacles,  and  this  is  an  ever  increasing  company. 

The  endless  procession  who  have  been  touring  eastward  with  their  Bae- 
deker in  hand  have  at  last  discovered  that  the  tide  of  travel  is  turning  this 
way.  Indeed,  it  is  unnatural  to  go  east,  as  all  world  movements  move  with 
the  sun.  Every  city  grows  westward,  unless  some  formation  makes  it  im- 
possible. 

This  world  of  the  west  is  now  to  be  the  Mecca  for  millions  of  scenic 
pilgrims,  who  have  just  learned  that  the  real  shrines  of  nature's  noblest 
moods  are  here  in  the  land  of  the  setting  sun. 

COMMERCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

Americans  have  been  eastward  to  see  the  glorious  Alps,  and  left  mil- 
lions of  wealth  in  those  splendid  valleys. 

So  valuable  is  this  troup  of  travelers  that,  even  now  Switzerland  and 
Italy  are  spending  $15,000,000  for  Simplon  tunnel  as  a  gateway  for  our  people 
to  pass  through  to  see  the  other  side  of  the  range.  As  I  have  rushed  through 
the  endless  tunnels  of  Europe,  I  have  been  impressed  with  the  value  of  the 
tourist  trade,  and  this  last  great  tunnel  is  a  climax  of  investment. 

An  illustration  in  our  own  country  of  the  value  of  summer  travel  is 
found  in  the  White  Mountain  region.  This  has  been  more  net  income  to 
that  state  than  all  her  manufactures.  Scenery  is  worth  more  per  yard 
than  cotton  cloth. 

I  know  bits  of  New  England  meadow  that  have  turned  more  dollars 
for  scenic  reasons  than  for  grass  and  corn. 

A  pretty  shaded  lane  and  a  straggling  old  oak  have  filled  hundreds  of 
farm  homes  with  income  guests,  where  the  little  flock  on  the  hillside  have 
paid  a  better  dividend  to  look  at  than  they  have  in  wool  and  mutton. 

The  old  world  haunts  have  been  a  rich  sluice  from  which  billions  have 
been  taken,  and  the  mine  is  not  yet  exhausted.  But  while  it  is  not  exhausted, 
but  holding  its  own,  it  is  equally  true  that,  if  a  richer  Klondike  is  discov- 
ered, you  may  be  sure  there  will  be  a  mad  rush  for  these  new  diggings. 

Over  there  are  the  beautiful  and  refined  Alps ;  and  these  none  can  love 
more  than  I.  But  did  you  realize  their  circumference  is  not  larger  than  some 
of  our  American  states,  while  -here  we  have,  as  the  Swiss  guide  says,  "Fifty 
Switzerlands  rolled  into  one."  From  Panama  to  the  Arctic  run  these  moun- 
tains in  long,  dim  distance,  "like  a  caravan  that  never  passes  by,  whose  camel 
backs  are  laden  with  the  sky."  One  wild  confusion  of  American  Alps  run 
these,  thousands  of  miles  north  and  south,  until  the  awful  range  plunges 
beneath  the  sea  in  the  Aleutian  islands,  that  are  but  the  fins  of  the  sunken 
range. 

This  enormous  American  earth-wrinkle,  so  long,  and  hundreds  of  miles 
in  width,  can  never  even  be  touched  in  survey  by  half  a  dozen  generations, 
and  the  blessed  Alps  of  Europe  could  be  hopelessly  lost  among  our  legions 
of  peaks.  We  have  unmeasured  square  miles  of  magnificent  mountains  that 
are  yet  untouched  by  white  foot.  We  know  that  they  are  there,  although 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  127 

unreached,  for  we  have  looked  out  over  these  endless  forests  of  snow  caps 
beyond  the  yet-made  trails  of  men. 

These  untrodden  centuries  of  miles  seem  simply  awful  to  me,  as  I  hear 
their  silent  call  in  defiance  of  this  living  generation.  I  long  to  ride  upon  a 
cloud  and  view  their  mitered  peaks,  black  canyons,  heavenly  lakes  and  frozen 
silence.  I  listen  to  the  music  of  their  million  waterfalls  and  crashing  ava- 
lanches, as  the  gods  of  destruction  tear  down  their  cathedral  spires  to  fill 
the  valleys  for  generations  far  unborn. 

I  see  among  these  rocky  fastnesses  Klondikes  and  Transvaal  wealth  of 
gold  and  precious  stones ;  for  rubies  and  diamonds  are  here.  Here  they  are, 
waiting  the  intrepid  explorer's  wand  to  reveal  to  wondering  eyes. 

Here  tower  thousands  of  Jungfraus  and  Eiger  peaks,  now  wind-swept 
and  alone,  where  some  day  millions  of  old  world  travelers  will  journey  in 
and  out  among  these  snow-skirted  heights. 

Train,  trail  and  Alpine  hut  will  ere  long  win  and  welcome  a  wondering 
world  from  Mexico  to  the  McKenzie  river. 

This  wealth  of  wilderness  will  not  long  be  unknown,  as  it  welcomes  the 
most  daring  and  hardy,  as  well  as  the  foot  of  the  weary  and  sad,  who  will 
be  looking  unto  these  hills  from  whence  cometh  their  strength. 

I  wonder  how  many  dollars  have  been  left  for  transportation  of  tourists 
that  they  might  stand  a  moment  to  gaze  in  worthy  admiration  at  Lauter- 
brunn  or  Staubbach  falls,  in  Switzerland? 

Abroad  in  company  with  some  who  had  not  seen  America,  I  heard  ex- 
pressions of  surprise  at  some  old  world  waterfalls. 

They  certainly  did  not,  could  not  love  them  more  than  I  did.  But  I 
have  stood  in  America  where  at  a  single  glance  I  saw  twenty  such  water- 
falls all  at  once.  Within  a  few  miles  of  where  we  now  stand,  up  yonder 
gorge  the  lofty  cliffs  have  scores  of  these  for  playthings.  The  dwellers  here 
about  pass  them  with  only  pleasant  comment,  and  sometimes  allow  their  rare 
beauty  to  be  seriously  marred  by  the  woodman's  ax.  There  are  waterfalls 
here  whose  scenic  beauty  are  worth  more  to  this  state  than  she  could  possibly 
estimate.  It  breaks  my  heart  to  note  that  one  of  the  choicest  here  is  being 
encroached  upon  and  robbed  of  her  God-given  garments  of  trees. 

There  are  so  many  of  these  of  remarkable  beauty  all  over  this  continent 
that,  like  the  stars,  they  are  considered  with  complacency.  True,  they  have 
not  been  immortalized  by  Byron  in  some  "Childe  Harold,"  but  many  have 
more  delicate  and  lovely  legendary  history,  in  connection  with  our  other-day 
redman,  who  once  worshipped  in  their  spray.  Among  all  the  greatest  of 
earth  roars  our  Niagara ;  and  let  the  traveler  from  abroad  who  has  seen  this 
remember  that  America  has  a  long  list  of  imposing  cataracts,  unequaled  by 
anything  in  Europe. 

THE   REAL    MONARCHS. 

The  waterfall  is  not  only  a  thing  of  beauty  in  itself— it  tells  of  those 
rugged  and  sudden  changes  of  surface  that  must  create  the  falls,  introducing 
us  to  the  great  ruggedness  and  beauty  up  where  they  are  born  from  the 
womb  of  the  mountain  and  glacier. 

American  mountains  possess  characteristic  elements  of  individuality,  as 
seen  in  this  unique  Cascade  range.  Here  rise  many  segregated  monarchs, 
equaling  Fusiyama,  of  Japan.  Each  stands  alone,  rising  from  the  very  sea 
level  to  the  altitude  of  Switzerland's  best.  But  as  this  line  from  Mexico  to 
the  frozen  north  stands  up  from  the  ocean's  brink,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  such 
peak  is  a  mile  "taller"  mountain  than  one  of  the  same  altitude  seen  from  a 
plain  .of  5000  feet.  Nowhere  in  the  world  can  this  long  procession  of  lone 
mountains  be  matched.  Begin  with  Mount  Whitney,  in  California,  coming 
north,  Mount  Shasta,  Mount  Pitt,  Three  Sisters,  Jefferson,  Mount  Hood,  St. 
Helens,  Adams,  Tacoma,  Mount  Baker,  nearly  all  over  two  miles  in  height, 
and  then  on  through  the  forest  of  massive  uplifts  of  the  British  procession 


128  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

to  Alaska,  where  Mount  McKinley  rises  20,500  feet  from  the  sea.  These 
throughout  are  not  only  snow-capped,  but  snow-skirted,  to  such  remarkable 
degree,  that  when  seen  from  any  point  they  seem  to  be  complete  masses  of 
pure  white.  It  is  difficult  to  find  a  view  of  any  of  them,  even  in  July,  that 
shows  anything  but  unbroken,  faultless  white.  They  are  very  many  lesser 
domes  and  peaks  between  these  mentioned,  but  a  ride  of  1000  miles  beside 
these  oft-occurring  monarchs  of  the  range  is  a  wonderful  privilege.  At  no 
time  in  that  long  journey  are  they  all  out  of  sight,  and  sometimes  five  or 
more  of  them  are  seen  at  once,  and  such  a  revelation  has  no  comparison 
on  earth,  and  it  is  worth  traversing  the  whole  earth  to  see.  Perhaps  the  most 
imposing  view  of  all  is  12  miles  from  Portland,  where  the  royal  Columbia 
is  met  by  this  rich  Willamette.  There  are  points  there  where  Mount  Hood 
simply  seems  immeasurable  in  altitude,  as  though  its  base  began  at  your 
feet  in  the  stream,  and  all  the  stream  between  was  a  part  of  that  altitude. 
It  is  a  mystic,  spiritual  view,  and  creates  an  emotion  beyond  description  to 
a  sensitive  soul. 

MOUNTAINS   OF  BLUE   ICE. 

The  mountain  scenery  on  this  continent  is  multiplied  in  grandeur  by 
the  untold  thousands  of  glaciers.  They  hang  everywhere,  of  such  enormous 
proportions,  and  resting  upon  the  rugged  shoulders  sometimes  of  a  dozen 
peaks.  Positions  can  be  secured  where  from  one  viewpoint  they  can  be  counted 
by  the  score,  and  no  doubt  that  from  some  highest  pinnacle  it  would  be  pos- 
sible to  count  a  full  hundred;  and  there  are  single  glaciers  among  them 
larger  than  all  the  glaciers  of  Europe  put  together.  Here  are  glaciers  100 
feet  thick.  Glaciers  of  solid  green  ice  500  feet  thick,  and  miles  in  length. 
A  glacier  three  thousand  feet  thick  would  hardly  be  credited,  yet  such  have 
I  seen,  and  scaled  its  measureless  area.  Its  boundless  size  is  forbidding  as 
well  as  attractive.  Its  enormous  ploughshares  had  ploughed  up  literally 
mountain  moraines  on  either  side,  and  beneath  its  solid  mass  it  carries 
caverns  more  beautiful  in  nature  than  those  carved  out  at  Grindenwald. 

I  have  seen  tumble  from  these  frozen  mountains  a  goodly  number  of 
very  great  avalanches  of  ice  when  the  falling  mass  was  over  a  half  mile  in 
midair,  before  it  reached  its  rest  to  form  a  newer  glacier  below;  I  have 
been  near  enough  to  be  hit  by  the  outer  rim  of  the  falling  snow,  and  such 
close  friendship  is  pleasing.  Glacier  experiences  may  be  had  without  num- 
ber, of  the  most  silent  or  startling  character.  They  are  easy  of  access,  or  for 
the  most  daring,  as  you  choose. 

To  me  the  most  beautiful  place  in  Europe  is  Lake  Como,  especially  taken 
with  Logano.  These  are  places  of  quiet,  artistic  beauty.  I  have  been  asked 
if  America  could  in  any  sense  equal  these.  Comparisons  are  not  pleasant, 
especially  with  anything  so  divinely  beautiful.  The  child  asked  which  it  likes 
best,  papa  or  mamma,  usually  replies  "Bof."  So  my  soul  hath  serene  bliss  on 
Como,  and  that  rare  lake  has  been  worth  a  thousand  gold  mines  in  that 
country.  If  I  were  worth  a  billion  dollars,  I  would  give  half  of  it  rather 
than  not  see  Como,  but  I  would  give  the  whole  billion  and  come  down  the 
trail  afoot,  rather  than  miss  some  lakes  I  know  of  on  this  continent 

How  charming  were  some  of  the  forest  lakes  in  Minnesota,  before  thrv 
were  improved,  for  I  picked  up  gems  on  their  pebbled  beaches  when  they 
were  new.  I  even  know  where  there  is  a  blue  Alpine  lake,  60  miles  from 
Boston,  on  a  ragged  cliff.  It  is  of  unknown  depth,  and  its  craggy  shore* 
are  all  lined  with  resplendent  crystals  that  sparkle  in  the  setting  sun.  And 
now,  as  I  think,  gem  lakes  swarm  in  memory  from  ocean  to  ocean.  On  and 
near  all  the  lines  of  transcontinental  travel  are  lakes  each  worth  a  tour  of 
the  earth  to  admire.  High  up  amid  summer  freezing,  low  down  in  deep 
valleys  of  living  green,  or  held  far  out  on  rugged  crags.  Everywhere  these 
emerald  and  sapphire  gems  are  set  o'er  the  surface  of  the  continent. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  129 

If  I  should  yield  myself  to  the  passion  of  describing  these  loveliest  gems 
of  earth  it  would  cover  volumes,  for  I  have  loved  and  studied  them  far  and 
near,  covering  every  variety  and  combination  of  nature. 

How  I  would  love  to  have  as  companions  Turner,  with  his  brush,  and 
Ruskin,  with  his  pen,  and  Thoreau,  with  his  spirit,  and  together  be  wafted 
from  one  to  another  of  these  exalted  lakes. 

From  Tahoe,  in  the  Sierras,  to  Crater  Lake,  on  Mount  Mazama,  Lakes 
McDonald,  Jackson  and  Yellowstone,  in  the  Rockies,  and  so  on  to  lonely  and 
lovely  Lake  Louise,  among  the  clouds  of  the  north.  This  last  is  perhaps  the 
spot  of  most  bewildering  beauty.  This  sapphire  lake  is  two  miles  across, 
seeming  but  a  quarter  of  one  mile;  deep  blue,  changing  off  to  richest  green, 
and  shadowing  the  lofty  crags  and  glaciers  that  rise  from  its  brink  to  many 
thousand  feet.  Then  yonder  range  running  before  you  like  the  roof  of  the 
universe,  carrying  many  miles  of  green  and  white  glaciers  that  thunder  ever 
in  terrific  tumult  over  the  black  cliff  of  a  half  a  mile  in  air.  Crags,  cliffs, 
peaks  and  glaciers  in  wild  and  terrible  disorder  fill  the  vision  and  fill  the 
sky.  The  peaks  are  two  and  a  half  miles  high  and  the  lake  half  that  in 
altitude,  while  other  silent  lakes  rest  a  thousand  feet  higher  up  among 
those  time-torn  pinnacles.  Here,  rocks  and  ice  and  flowers  are  all  blended 
in  happy  fraternity.  Nowhere  else  have  I  ever  been  so  impressed  with  the 
sense  that  here  is  a  place  fit  for  the  throne  of  God ;  and  somewhere  near  all 
good  spirits  dwell.  If  shut  out  of  heaven,  I  should  seek  this  holy  shrine, 
for  God  made  it. 

HISTORICAL    SCENERY. 

Not  only  have  we  charming  vistas,  but  the  historical  is  not  lacking  in 
our  American  scenery,  as  many  think.  Among  our  towns  and  hamlets  the 
Dutch  Amsterdams  blend  happily  with  our  dear  old  Indian  Cayudatas,  Sauk- 
anadagas  and  Chuctunundas.  All  these  and  many  more  where  the  sleepy 
Mohawk  gently  glides  on  its  sweet,  winding  way  to  the  sea.  The  heraldry 
of  many  of  our  rivers  would  not  be  smiled  at  by  the  Rhine  or  the  Po.  Not 
only  can  this  be  said  of  the  Hudson,  the  Connecticut,  the  Potomac,  the 
Suwanee  and  the  Savannah,  but  a  hundred  others,  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

I  can  barely  refrain  from  giving  pages  of  truly  ancient  lore  that  cluster 
with  delightful  atmosphere  about  all  of  our  American  scenery.  Here  Ameri- 
can, English,  Spanish,  French,  and  old  Indian  are  finely  blended.  The  fable 
tales  told  me  while  gliding  down  the  lovely  Rhine  I  can  match  in  weirdness 
and  wildness  and  even  in  years  with  stories  of  this  wildest  of  rivers,  the 
Columbia.  This  is  doubted  abroad,  for  I  have  been  innocently  smiled  at  and 
told  that  our  scenery  was  "hardly  old  enough  to  be  baptized."  I  long  for 
the  time  to  tell  of  the  splendid  halo  of  history  about  us  here.  But  if  scientific 
studenis  over  there  had  n:connoitored  h^re  fhey  would  have  been  lost  in 
delightful  prehistoric  worlds  as  well  as  grandeur. 

Revelations  ;*wait  ':hem.  A.  foreigner  talking  to  an  American  traveler, 
said:  "Oh,  but  you  have  no  Vesuvius  volcano."  "No,"  the  Yankee  replied, 
"but  we  have  a  Niagara  that  can  put  it  out  if  it  is  on  fire."  When  I  looked 
at  Vesuvius  with  pleasure,  I  could  not  forget  Tiat  in  America  we  had  an 
extinct  volcano  with  crater  so  vast  you  could  pull  Vesuvius  by  the  roots  and 
drop  it  into  our  open  crater,  and  Vesuvius  would  go  a  thousand  feet  out 
of  sight,  and  few  there  be  who  have  seen  this,  as  I  will  tell  you  later. 

A  gentleman  abroad  said  to  me :  "You  have  no  Giant's  Causeway  in 
America."  I  said :  "Come  with  me  and  I  will  show  you  its  duplicate  mul- 
tiplied many,  many  times  in  Idaho,  where  you  can  see  the  same  hexagonal, 
spinal-columned  basalt  for  forty  miles.  And  are  not  the  beautiful  grottoes  of 
Italy  strangely  mated  on  the  islands  of  California,  with  points  of  exceeding 
beauty  and  geological  interest?" 

The  fjords  of  Norway  and  the  North  Sea  repeat  themselves  in  our 
northwest  archipelago,  where  you  could  sail  a  thousand  miles  along  the 


130  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

Pacific  and  not  see  the  outer  ocean,  while  great  Alaska  is  a  world  by  itself 
of  such  unique  scenic  work  that  it  can  be  compared  to  nothing. 

When  one  has  traveled  a  few  hundred  miles  among  the  glistening  stalac- 
tites of  our  Mammoth  Cave,  Luray  Caverns,  and  the  more  lovely  caves  of 
Josephine  county,  Oregon,  he  will  find  it  easy  to  get  lost  in  the  underworld, 
for  our  scenery  is  sometimes  many  stories  high,  with  a  basement.  Indeed, 
before  a  man  could  have  seen  the  chief  points  of  American  scenery,  his  ago 
would  be  that  of  Methusalah's,  for  the  western  part  of  this  continent  is  a 
perfect  museum  of  stupendous  relics.  From  the  Thousand  islands  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  endless  group  above  Puget  Sound,  our  Mediterranean  is  a 
delightful  journey,  introducing  you  to  other  worlds. 

THE   PLOUGHSHARE   OF   AGES. 

Come  ye,  who  have  wandered  over  the  globe  to  see  God's  handiwork; 
come  here  and  study  the  two  greatest  canyons,  the  Yellowstone  and  the  Colo- 
rado. Here  you  may  end  your  search  for  the  workings  of  creation.  In  the 
Yellowstone  you  will  find  God  still  at  work  completing  the  earth's  crust. 
You  can  stand  by  him  and  see  all  the  awful  processes  of  creation  before  the 
surface  is  even  cooled.  An  indescribable  world,  with  its  seven  thousand  tre- 
mendous geysers  and  fumaroles,  as  beautiful  as  they  are  awful. 

This  national  park  is  both  modern  and  prehistoric.  Here  all  worlds 
meet,  the  beauties  of  heaven  and  the  fumes  of  the  pit.  Here  is  Hell's  Half 
Acre,  with  the  Devil's  Frying  Pan,  Kitchen  and  Ink  Stand,  recording  a  mys- 
tery that  makes  you  hold  your  breath.  Here  volcanoes  of  hot  water,  hot  mud, 
and  even  hot  air  are  poured  out  with  a  precision  that  suggests  some  engineer 
below. 

Here  in  this  greatest  of  watersheds  known  rise  the  three  greatest  river 
systems,  the  Missouri,  the  Snake  and  the  Colorado  river.  These  three  all 
rise  in  the  Yellowstone,  gushing  madly  out  of  the  hot  earth's  center  up  hun- 
dreds of  feet  into  the  air.  You  can  cook  your  meat  in  the  fountain  waters 
of  either  of  these  three  rivers,  and  cook  it  quick. 

From  the  Yellowstone  region  follow  the  wild  Colorado  river,  whose 
track  all  northwest  rivers  used  to  follow  to  the  southern  sea.  Salt  Lake  is 
the  last  remnant  of  that  inter-mountain  ocean.  Such  vast  inland  sea  alone 
can  account  for  the  awful  wear  and  tear  that  plowed  out  the  frightful  Canyon 
of  the  Colorado. 

Stand  on  this  canyon,  ye  lover  of  scenery,  and  see  where  the  breaking 
up  of  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  have  torn  away  a  quarter  of  a  conti- 
nent, and  buried  and  then  unburied  ancient  forests.  While  buried  in  its 
silica,  it  turned  these  old  forests  into  beautiful  stone,  and  now,  all  about  you 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  these  stony  forests  lie  in  confusion  of  form  and 
color,  turned  to  sand  and  onyx  and  sardonyx,  prase,  chrysoprase  and  every- 
hued  heliotrope  and  jasper. 

Here  old  earth  is  split  and  carved  in  mad  and  terrible  beauty,  where 
the  vast  ploughshare  of  ages  has  turned  up  a  furrow  12  miles  across  and  more 
than  a  mile  deep  for  hundreds  of  miles  in  length.  Here  all  colors,  tints  and 
hues  are  in  riotous  splashes.  Here  the  titanic  architect  has  flung  universal 
castles,  domes  and  turrets  of  palace  and  tower  in  infinite  disorder,  and  then 
thrown  the  radiant  prismatics  of  the  spectroscope  over  it  all. 

Do  not  say  you  have  seen  scenery  unless  you  have  seen  America's  scen- 
ery. Here  it  rises  to  its  loftiest  perfection  in  moods  of  solemn  vastness  or 
quiet  grace.  Come  up  along  this  western  coast  as  a  climax  of  all.  Here 
by  the  Pacific,  nature  revels  all  its  glory,  here  every  wild  antic  of  nature 
has  found  full  vent.  This  is  indeed  the  end  of  the  world— the  last  show  on 
earth. 

THE    SOUTHERN    COAST. 

Think  of  that  charming  summerland  of  Southern  California,  that  land 
where  the  sun-kissed  hills  and  valleys  are  ever  changing  in{:o  the  commerce 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  131 

of  beauty.  There  where  paradise  is  being  restored  among  the  palms  and 
pomegranates,  where  a  scoriated  Campagna  vaster  than  many  Italys  is 
blooming  like  the  rose.  There  the  trees  of  life  bear  their  fruit  literally  every 
month,  and  the  traveling  nations  have  found  healing  in  the  leaves  that  shade 
this  orange-groved  Eden.  There,  too,  have  the  endless  processions  brought 
the  glory  and  honor  and  wealth  of  nations. 

AGAIN    THESE    CASCADES. 

This  whole  western  range  with  its  mighty  sentinel  peaks  cpntaineth 
glories  and  wonders  undreamed  of  by  the  world.  Let  me  tell  again  of  the 
silent  hall  of  Mount  Mazama,  just  below  us  here.  Here  is  that  old  volcano 
into  whose  open  crater  you  can  fling  Vesuvius  out  of  sight.  To  have  once 
looked  into  this  almighty  vortex  where  blue  heavens  are  repeated  a  mile 
below  your  feet,  is  worth  several  journeys  around  the  globe.  From  this 
terrible  sanctuary  of  silence,  this  shrine  of  the  gods,  even  the  reclman  stands 
aloof  in  dreadful  awe.  Sometime  millions  will  have  seen  it  and  been  hushed. 
I  am  glad  I  saw  it  and  slept  upon  its  brink  many  moons  before  the  trail 
grew  wide  enough  for  two.  Floating  there  in  the  deep  night  shadows  of 
Wizard  island  one  hears  the  voice  of  God  But  let  no  reckless  foot  venture 
the  inner  sanctuary,  lest  he  be  hurled  into  the  unknown  forever  that  reigns 
down  there  in  the  lower  blue,  which  looks  the  upturned  dome  of  the  universe. 

MY    CATHEDRAL   VISION. 

Come  again  and  stand  yonder  at  the  meeting  of  these  great  waters; 
look  up  at  these  five  enormous  fields  of  snow,  held  miles  toward  heaven, 
and  somehow,  divinity  is  enshrined  about  you.  Thank  God,  these  awful 
scenes  cannot  be  marred  by  man's  folly.  Man  is  insignificant  here,  and  so 
vast  are  these,  man  can  only  worship  in  silence,  and  that  silence  is  so  in- 
tense it  cannot  be  broken.  Like  St.  Peter's  in  Rome,  which  is  so  vast  no 
audience  can  perceptibly  fill  it,  so  standing  there  man  seems  but  a  moment 
in  eternity. 

The  coming  of  the  millions  of  earth  to  worship  here  in  all  the  years 
hence  can  never  crowd  the  corridors  and  aisles  of  this  universal  cathedral. 
This  old  Columbia  cathedral,  whose  ether  blue  vault  is  supported  by  these 
spiritual  snow-white  columns.  These  manifestations  of  divine  purity. 

Behold  a  never-ceasing  processional  and  recessional  that  shall  in  all  the 
coming  years  move  up  and  down  that  enchanted  transept  that  cuts  its  way 
through  this  range !  In  the  Columbia  gorge  can  be  seen  and  felt  all  varieties 
of  the  Divine  architecture.  Behold  unmeasured  architraves  and  terminating 
cornices,  towering  spires,  or  lofty  vaults  and  domes  with  arches  and  flying 
buttresses  in  endless  array.  Vast  and  impenetrable  niches,  where  stand 
millions  of  unapproachable  forms  and  spirits  chiseled  and  painted  here  by 
the  God  of  Ages.  To  complete  the  cathedral  effect,  unnumbered  hexagonal 
organ  pipes  are  full  of  the  music  of  silence,  blending  ever  with  the  vox- 
angelic  of  a  thousand  vapory  waterfalls. 

Standing  there  at  the  eastern  portal  of  our  continent  wait  the  multitude 
audience  whom  no  man  can  number,  to  be  guided  through  this  cathedral  aisle. 
Here  where  the  dusky  race  are  vanishing  toward  the  sunset,  will  come  the 
paleface  in  his  turn  to  worship  in  stillness  and  pass  out  into  the  unknown 
sea  beyond. 

DESECRATIONS. 

The  advertising  fiend  is  abroad  in  the  land.  Let  every  true  American 
that  loves  nature  refuse  to  purchase  anything  whose  God-defying  advertise- 
ments now  ruin  hundreds  of  miles  of  lovely  fen  and  moor.  These  beauty- 
hating  men  of  board  and  brush  would  daub  the  white  throne  with  some 
brand  of  whisky  and  tobacco  and  drive  the  angels  out  of  heaven  with  dis- 
traction. 


132  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

Let  railroads  use  their  great  power  to  save  us  from  this  unmitigated 
prostitution.  I  insist  the  eye  is  more  sensitive  than  throat  or  nostril,  and 
if  our  boards  of  health  prosecute  when  food  is  polluted,  then  why  pure  scen- 
ery be  polluted,  and  none  protest,  nor  find  redress  ?  Must  the  vast  army 
who  pay  to  view  and  adore  the  landscapes  be  forced  to  ride  in  wrath  be- 
tween sky-high  boards  on  either  side  of  your  train,  and  read  and  reread,  for 
a  thousand  miles,  of  some  brand  of  emetic  nicotine,  until  he  turns  pale  and 
pulls  the  curtain  down  to  prevent  sickness? 

Any  man  who  allows  these  advertisements  on  his  buildings  or  fields  is 
only  thereby  advertising  himself  as  very  cheap,  wanting  in  all  the  refinements 
of  nature. 

VALUE   TO    SCENERY    MERCHANTS. 

Let  us  keep  American  scenery  as  the  greatest  asset  the  country  has.  If 
it  has  been  worth  $80,000,000  to  New  Hampshire  alone  in  ten  years,  then  cal- 
culate its  value  from  a  continental  basis. 

Above  14,000  people  visited  the  wilderness  of  Yellowstone  Park  last  year, 
while  some  days  50,000  people  walk  the  streets  of  Southern  California,  all 
of  whom  are  guests  of  travel,  and  the  mountains  of  Colorado  are  ever  filled 
with  happy  pilgrims.  The  number  that  visited  the  Colorado  Canyon  reveal 
the  following  remarkable  increase : 

1900     813        1903 12,704 

1901     2,993         1904     15,985 

1902     6,608 

This  amazing  increase  illustrates  in  one  concrete  case  what  I  have 
found  all  over  the  continent,  but  have  not  time  to  tell.  These  are  only  char- 
acteristic of  the  present  interest  in  our  unique  scenery,  and  ten  years  hence 
it  will  bother  the  railroads  to  transport  the  scenery  lover. 

The  whole  world  is  coming  to  see  this  continent.  The  whole  east  is 
coming  to  see  the  wonderful  west.  If  the  old  Baltimore  &  Ohio  could  ad- 
vertise its  crooks  and  turns  as  worth  the  time  of  travelers  to  come  and  see, 
then  this  continent  has  an  inexhaustible  world  of  wildest  beauty  in  crooks 
and  turns  of  hill  and  vale,  increasing  ever  as  you  come  westward.  West- 
ward the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way,  and  let  me  dedicate  my  verse  to 
this  Columbia  river  region,  down  whose  gorgeous  gorge  came  Lewis  and 
Clark  100  years  ago,  in  whose  honor  we  are  celebrating  in  this  exposition 
city.  (Prolonged  applause.) 

MR.  TOM  RICHARDSON  (Portland):  Mr.  Chairman  and  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  1  think  the  address  we  have  just  listened  to  is  the 
greatest  gem  we  have  had  before  any  of  our  Congresses,  and  we 
are  going  to  see  that  it  is  circulated  all  over  the  United  States,  both 
by  the  railroads  and  every  other  way.  But  now  I  want  to  ask  a 
privilege  before  this  Congress  adjourns,  of  presenting  the  following 
resolution : 

THE  COLUMBIA  RIVER. 

WHEREAS,  The  additional  appropriation  of  nine  hundred  thousand  dollars 
($900,000)  is  a  sum  sufficient,  according  to  the  United  States  government 
engineers,  to  complete  the  jetty,  thereby  placing  the  Columbia  river  traffic 
on  a  par  with  the  greatest  gateways  of  the  world;  and 

WHEREAS,  The  delay  of  this  great  improvement  retards  the  advance- 
ment of  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho  and  places  the  producers  of  these 
three  states  at  a  disadvantage;  therefore, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  1 3H 

Be  it  Resolved,  Thai  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  in 
convention  assembled,  urge  the  congress  of  the  United  States  immediately 
upon  convening  to  make  such  appropriation  as  will  do  justice  to  the  people 
of  the  great  Pacific  northwest  and  permit  that  portion  of  our  common  coun- 
try to  develop  so  that  its  products  may  find  a  highway  to  the  markets  of 
the  entire  world  without  the  inconvenience  of  low  water  over  the  bar. 

Now,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  would  ask  it  as  a  special  favor  of  this 
Congress  to  suspend  the  rules  with  reference  to  this  one  resolution. 
It  is  one  in  which  our  people  of  the  great  Pacific  Northwest  unite, 
just  as  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Arkansas,  and  Missouri,  and  all  of  the 
great  mid-continent  unite  in  asking  the  government  of  the  United 
States  for.  a  lump  appropriation  for  the  improvement  of  the  great 
waterways.  I  ask  tEe  suspension  of  the  rules,  and  that  this  resolu- 
tion be  permitted  to  come  before  the  Congress  as  a  separate  reso- 
lution, and  move  its  adoption. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  gentleman  is  out  of  order.  It  goes  to 
the  Committee  on  Resolutions 

JUDGE  RAKER  (California)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  may  I  ask  what 
the  rule  is  in  reference  to  suspension  of  the  rules,  or  if  there  is  such 
a  rule. 

THE  CHAIR:     No,  sir. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  There  is  no  rule  allowing  suspension  of  the 
rules  ? 

THE  CHAIRMAN:     No,  sir. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  Then  I  make  the  point  that  if  there  is  no  rule 
upon  that  question,  the  general  rule  then  prevails  that  two-thirds  of 
those  present  may  suspend  the  rule;  and  therefore  I  ask  that  the 
gentleman's  motion  may  now  be  heard,  and  the  rule  suspended. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Out  of  order.  It  goes*  to  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions,  which  meets  at  8  o'clock  tomorrow  morning.  I  would 
be  particularly  pleased  if  I  could  favor  the  gentleman,  who  has  been 
the  most  active  force  in  this  Congress  for  years,  and  he  is  my  friend. 
But  in  justice  to  my  position  as  presiding  officer,  I  can  not. 

MR.  RICHARDSON  :  I  defer,  Mr.  President,  and  withdraw  the 
request. 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS  :  I  have  here  my  report  covering  the  oper- 
ations of  the  office  of  the  Secretary,  which  you  will  find  quite  lengthy, 
and  as  it  is  confined  largely  to  details  and  will  consume  considerable 
time  in  its  reading,  I  would  ask  permission,  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
it  has  already  been  acted  upon  by  the  Executive  Committee,  to  pre- 
sent it  and  have  it  printed  in  the  record. 


134  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :     There  being  no  objection  the  report  is    ac- 
cepted and  will  be  printed  in  the  record 

REPORT  OF  SECRETARY. 

Mr.    Chairman   and   Members   of   the  Executive   Committee   of   the    Trans- 
Mississippi  Commercial  Congress: 

I  herewith  submit  my  report  for  the  year,  covering  receipts  and  ex- 
penditures, together  with  a  record  of  the  operations  of  this  office. 

GENERAL  FUND. 

RECEIPTS. 

From  permanent  memberships,  last  report $355.00 

Additional   memberships    220.00 

From  other   sources    60.90 

Total    $635.90 

DISBURSEMENTS. 

Printing  and  expense    $128.10 

Postage     167.02 

Telegram 40 

Typewriting  for  St.  Louis  and  Seattle  reports 180.50 

Miss  Hoover,  official  report,  St.  Louis  session 125.00 

Stationery    supplies    16.10 

Express   and   freight    6.53 

Press    Clipping    Bureau 5.00 

Bank    exchange     1.50 

P.   O.  box 75 

$630.90 

Cash  on  hand $  90.00 

BILLS    PAYABLE. 

From  the  Seattle  session   $180.40 

Smith-Brooks  Printing  Co.,  St.  Louis  report,  balance 273.35 


PERMANENT    MEMBERS. 

Permanent  members  paying  dues  were  as  follows : 

John  G.  Brady,  Sitka,  Alaska,  membership  fee $5.00 

Edward  DeGroff,  Sitka,  Alaska,  membership  fee 5.00 

Fred  J.  Koster,   San   Francisco,  membership   fee 5.00 

Rufus  P.  Jennings,  San  Francisco,  membership  fee 5.00 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  135 

Ed.  Fletcher,  San  Diego,  Cal.,  membership  fee 5.00 

H.   P.  Wood,  San  Diego,  Cal.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.  H.  Weilbye,  Oakland,  Cal.,  membership  fee 5.00 

J.  G.  Loveran,  Eureka,  Cal.,  membership  fee 5.00 

C.  B.  Boothe,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Chas.  A.  Stokes,  Denver,  Colo.,  membership  fee .  .  5.00 

Fred.   A.   Williams,   Denver,   Colo.,   membership   fee 5.00 

J.  P.  Hall,  Denver,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Philip    Schuch,   Jr.,   Denver,    Colo.,   membership    fee 5.00 

Chas.  A.   Black,  Montrose,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Nelson    Franklin,    Victor,    Colo.,    membership    fee 5.00 

A.  A.  Rollestone,  Victor,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Frank  M.  Woods,  Victor,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

F.  A.   Reardon,  Victor,   Colo.,  membership   fee 5.00 

W.  H.  Dingman,  Victor,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Chas.   H.  Waldron,  Victor,   Colo.,  membership   fee 5.00 

G.  E.  Copeland,  Victor,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

J.   C.   Staats,   Victor,   Colo.,   membership   fee 5.00 

Paul  M.  North,  Goldfield,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Arthur  F.  Francis,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

C.  E.  Miesse,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

R.  A.  Airheart,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.  H.  Littell,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

P.  E.  C.  Burke,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

J.  M.  Parfet,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Carl  Johnson,   Cripple   Creek,   Colo.,  membership   fee 5.00 

Geo.  F.  Fry,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

T.  H.  Thomas,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

John  T.  Hawkins,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

D.  H.  Franks,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

S.  A.  Phipps,  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

A.  E.  Johnstone,  Keokuk,  Iowa,  membership  fee 5.00 

Dr.  T.  C.  Frazier,  Coffeyville,  Kan.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Chas.  K.  Fuqua,  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Alec.    Burrel,    Marysville,    Mont.,   membership    fee 5.00 

Herbert  Strain,  Great  Falls,  Mont.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Benj.  F.  Beardsley,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  membership  fee 5.00 

R.  C.  Kerens,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

F.  Ernest  Cramer,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.  H.  Elliot,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

H.  R.  Whitmore,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.   D.    Simmons,    St.   Louis,   Mo.,   membership   fee 5.00 

Ben.  Altheimer,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

H.  W.  Quaintance,  Columbia,  Mo.,  membership  fee.. 5.00 

Dr.  W.  A.  Kendall,  Poplar  Bluff,  Mo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Dr.  J.  Philip  Kneche,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Joseph  Hayden,  Omaha,  Neb.,  membership  fee 5.00 

H.  T.  Clarke,  Omaha,  Neb.,  membership  fee 5.00 

John  A.  Scott,  Omaha,  Neb.,  membership  fee 5.00 

N.  G.  Larimore,  Larimore,  N.  D.,  membership  fee 5.00 

J.  W.  Moore,  Pond  Creek,  Okl.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Wesley  K.  Walton,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

M.  F.  Cunningham,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Rudolph  Kuchler,  Ogden,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

F.  W.  Tissburn,  Brigham,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 


136  REPORT   OF   PROCEEDINGS 

Webb  Greene,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Tom  Richardson,   Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

R.  L.  Darrow,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Theo.  B.  Wilcox,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.  M.   Ladd,   Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

A.  L.  Mills,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Chas.  E.  Ladd,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

B.  Neustadter,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Walter  F.  Burrell,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

L.  A.  Lewis,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

J.   Frank  Watson,   Portland,   Or.,  membership   fee 5.00 

A.  H.  Devers,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Robert    Kennedy,    Portland,    Or.,    membership    fee 5.00 

Robert  Livingstone,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.    L.    Boise,    Portland,    Or.,   membership    fee 5.00 

E.  M.  Brannick,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee '.  5.00 

I.  N.  Fleischner,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

E.  L.  Thompson,   Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.  W.  Cotton,  Portland,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

E.  L.  Smith,  Hood  River,  Or.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Chas.  R.   Kitchell,  Galveston,  Tex.,  membership   fee 5.00 

Ed.  F.  Harris,  Galveston,  Tex.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Walter   Gresham,    Galveston,   Tex.,   membership    fee 5.00 

D.  B.  Henderson,  Galveston,  Tex.,  membership  fee 5.00 

C.  W.   Hahl,  Houston,  Tex.,  membership  fee s'.OO 

H.    F.    MacGregor,   Houston,   Tex.,   membership   fee 5.00 

D.  Woodhead,  Beaumont,  Tex.,  membership  fee 5.00 

W.  S.  Davidson,  Beaumont,  Tex.,  membership  fee  5.00 

W.   C.  Averill,   Beaumont,  Tex.,  membership  fee 5.00 

T.    A.    Langham,    Beaumont,    Tex.,    membership    fee 5.00 

W.  J.  Crawford,  Beaumont,  Tex.,  membership  fee 5.00 

J.  F.  Keith,  Beaumont,  Tex.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Geo.   Romney,    Salt   Lake   City,   Utah,   membership   fee 5.00 

Edwin  F.  Holmes,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  membership  fee  (3) 15.00 

John  Henry  Smith,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Geo.  A.  Smith,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

John  C.  Cutler,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Henry  Dinwoody,   Salt   Lake   City,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Wm.  T.  Williams,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Abel  John  Evans,  Lehi,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Reed  Smoot,  Provo,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

Jesse   Knight,    Provo,   Utah,   membership    fee 5.00 

John  R.  Barnes,  Kaysville,  Utah,  membership  fee 5.00 

E.  W.  Purdy,  Bellingham,  Wash.,  membership  fee 5.00 

C.  V.  Nolte,  Bellingham,  Wash.,  membership  fee 5.00 

V.   A.   Roeder,   Bellingham,   Wash.,   membership   fee ". 5.00 

C.  E.  Gage,  Bellingham,  Wash.,  membership  fee 5.00 

A.  L.  Black,  Bellingham,  Wash.,  membership  fee 5.00 

R.  R.  Bourland,  Sec.,  Peoria,  111.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Isaac  Taylor,  Peoria,  111.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Truman  G.  Palmer,  Chicago,  111.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Geo.  H.  Maxwell,  Chicago,  111.,  membership  fee 5.00 

Frank  Wenter,  Chicago,  111.,  membership   fee 5.00 

F.  B.  Thurber,  New  York  City,  N.  Y.,  membership  fee 5.00 


Total    $575.00 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  137 

PRINTING  OF  OFFICIAL  REPORTS. 

Your  secretary,  under  instructions  from  the  executive  committee,  pre- 
pared and  had  published  a  report  of  the  sessions  of  the  congress  at  St.  Louis. 
That  this  was  required  was  due  to  the  fact  that  when  the  congress  was  called 
to  meet  at  St.  Louis  it  was  upon  the  invitation  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase 
Exposition  Association  and  not  upon  the  invitation  of  the  city  and  the  com- 
mercial organizations.  At  previous  sessions  the  expense  of  the  official 
report  of  the  proceedings  and  of  the  printing  was  borne  by  the  city  enter- 
taining the  congress.  In  this  instance  there  was  no  such  arrangement,  and 
the  managers  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  required  the  congress 
to  submit  to  the  usual  record  which  was  given  to  all  congresses  meeting 
upon  the  exposition  grounds.  Inasmuch  as  this  was  inadequate  for  our  pur- 
poses, it  became  incumbent  upon  the  executive  committee  to  furnish  the 
proceedings  so  that  members  of  congress  and  others  might  be  furnished  with 
the  report.  To  meet  this  emergency,  your  secretary  proceeded  at  once  with 
the  proper  arrangements,  and  upon  the  opening  of  the  national  congress  had 
the  usual  copies  of  the  proceedings  upon  the  desk  of  each  member  of  the 
senate  and  the  house. 

It  was  the  intention  of  your  committee  to  also  have  printed  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Seattle  session,  and  your  secretary  was  instructed  to  proceed 
with  that  end  in  view.  At  the  St.  Louis  session  over  $700.00  was  pledged 
from  the  various  states  for  that  purpose,  but  despite  the  repeated  appeals  of 
your  secretary,  this  fund  was  not  forthcoming,  with  the  exception  of  the 
pledges  that  were  made  by  Oregon,  Washington,  Utah  and  Colorado.  With 
the  funds  in  hand  your  secretary  not  only  completed  the  report  of  the  St. 
Louis  session,  but  compiled  the  proceedings  of  the  Seattle  session.  These 
are  now  ready  for  the  printer,  and  I  would  recommend  that  some  provision 
be  made  to  have  this  compilation  printed,  as  frequent  demands  are  made  for 
this  report  because  of  the  large  quantity  of  valuable  information  which  will 
be  forever  lost  unless  some  steps  are  taken  to  preserve  it. 

Your  secretary  would  also  recommend  that  instead  of  relying  upon 
promises  made  from  the  states  pledging  a  certain  number  of  memberships, 
that  these  memberships  be  gathered  upon  the  floor  of  the  congress  and  not  left 
to  the  uncertain  conditions  which  follow  after  the  delegates  disperse  to  their 
homes.  In  the  gathering  of  memberships  it  seems  absolutely  necessary  to 
make  personal  appeals  and  wherever  this  has  been  done  no  trouble  has  been 
found  in  securing  sufficient  funds  for  the  operations  of  the  committee  be- 
tween sessions  of  the  congress.  In  connection  with  this,  your  secretary 
would  respectfully  direct  your  attention  to  the  two  items  of  indebtedness  and 
request  that  the  secretary  be  instructed  to  meet  these  obligations  as  soon  as 
sufficient  memberships  are  secured  to  liquidate  these  claims.  Should  the 
proper  zeal  be  manifested,  the  membership  list  can  be  very  largely  increased 
and  the  treasury  restored  to  its  usual  condition  for  the  benefit  of  the  con- 
gressional committee,  who  will  be  required  to  give  more  than  the  usual  at- 
tention next  winter  to  the  important  recommendations  that  will  be  made  at 
this  session  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress. 

WORK  BEFORE  THE  NATIONAL  CONGRESS. 

The  work  incident  to  the  office  of  the  secretary  is  increasing,  especially 
during  the  sessions  of  the  national  congress,  when  a  stenographer  is  kept 
almost  constantly  employed  in  keeping  up  with  the  correspondence.  That  our 
work  may  be  more  effective  is  the  earnest  desire  of  every  friend  of  the 
congress,  and  this  effectiveness  can  only  be  assured  by  keeping  in  touch 
with  national  legislation. 

In  addition  to  the  printed  reports,  certified  copies  of  the  recommenda- 
tions made  by  the  last  session  of  the  congress  to  the  national  congress  were 
sent  with  special  letters  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  to  the  presi- 


138  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

dent  of  the  senate,  the  speaker  of  the  house  and  the  chairmen  of  the  various 
committees  of  both  the  senate  and  the  house. 

Members  of  the  congressional  committee  were  at  times  in  Washington, 
but  owing  to  the  absence  of  Senator  Kerens,  who  is  in  Europe,  a  report  in 
detail  as  to  the  work  that  was  done  by  the  members  of  that  committee  in 
advancing  the  measures  that  were  recommended  is  not  to  be  had.  Sufficient 
will  it  be  to  say  that  this  work  was  most  effective,  especially  as  to  the  rec- 
ommendations before  the  rivers  and  harbors  committee. 

Some  time  in  the  near  future  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  finances  of  this 
organization  may  be  in  such  condition  as  to  maintain  a  commissioner  whose 
duties  will  be  to  remain  in  Washington  during  the  long,  and  the  short  ses- 
sions of  the  national  congress  and  keep  in  touch  with  all  the  legislation  in 
which  the  Trans-Mississippi  states  and  territories  are  directly  interested, 
and  whose  further  duty  it  shall  be  to  keep  track  of  the  sessions  of  the  various 
committees  and  have  the  commercial  bodies  and  the  cities  that  are  interested 
in  the  various  pieces  of  legislation  sufficiently  posted  that  the  deliberations 
of  the  committee  may  be  assisted  by  influential  and  competent  representatives 
from  those  sections,  who  may  be  brought  to  Washington  at  the  telegraphic 
request  of  our  commissioner. 

If  this  plan  could  be  adopted  there  would  be  no  difficulty  for  this  or- 
ganization to  secure  ample  membership  fees  from  the  commercial,  industrial 
and  other  associations  who  year  after  year  send  delegations  to  this  body. 

We  could  also  establish  permanent  headquarters  in  some  central  location 
and  have  representatives  of  this  committee  at  stated  periods  inaugurate  a 
thorough  canvass  of  the  cities  for  these  memberships. 

CONGRESSIONAL    COMMITTEE    FOR    TWO    YEARS. 

In  connection  with  this  most  important  work,  I  would  also  recommend 
that  the  policy  heretofore  followed  of  appointing  the  congressional  commit- 
tee each  year  be  changed  so  that  in  the  future  this  most  important  adjunct 
to  the  congress  continue  for  a  period  of  two  years,  during  the  long  and  the 
short  sessions  of  the  national  congress.  The  reason  advanced  for  this  change 
is  the  detriment  of  removing  the  members  of  one  committee  just  as  they 
become  familiar  with  their  duties,  and  supply  their  places  by  other  persons 
not  familiar  with  the  work  that  has  already  been  done  and  that  left  undone 
which  should  be  followed  to  its  conclusion. 

By  making  this  change  the  congressional  committee  would  serve  more 
effectively  and  at  the  expiration  of  their  two  years'  term  have  a  report  to 
present  that  would  show  quite  an  improvement,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
members  of  this  committee  would  be  more  of  an  aid  to  the  senators  and 
representatives  who  are  really  desirous  of  securing  all  the  information  possi- 
ble in  their  consideration  of  the  measures  brought  before  them  in  the  com- 
mittee rooms,  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  states  and  terri- 
tories. 

OPERATIONS    FOR   THE    YEAR. 

The  operations  of  this  office  have  been  almost  continuous  since  the  ad- 
journment of  the  St.  Louis  session,  including  the  work  incident  to  the  six- 
teenth annual  session,  and  there  have  been  distributed  mail  matter  as  follows : 

General  correspondence,   including  circular  letters. ..  .13,569  pieces 

Official  calls    15,000  pieces 

Printed  reports  of  the  proceedings 750  pieces 

Other  printed  matter  53,141  pieces 

Newspapers  mailed 1,600  pieces 

Total  matter  distributed  84,060  pieces 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL   CONGRESS.  139 

These  figures  give  some  conception  of  the  work  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee through  the  secretary's  office. 

I  would  particularly  call  your  attention  to  the  following  tribute  which 
your  executive  committee  has  received  from  prominent  citizens  of  the  Crip- 
ple Creek  district,  whose  loyalty  to  the  congress  is  excelled  by  no  other  com- 
munity since  the  session  held  in  the  city  of  Cripple  Creek,  1901: 

Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  December  15,  1904. 
To  the  Executive  Committee,  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress: 

In  recognition  of  the  fact  that  your  organization  has  so  persistently 
and  with  marked  success  advocated  the  movement  for  a  department  of  mines 
and  mining,  with  its  head  a  member  of  the  national  cabinet,  we  herewith  re- 
quest permanent  membership,  in  conformity  with  the  by-laws  of  your  as- 
sociation. 

Nelson  Franklin,  general  manager  Eagle  Ore  Company. 

A.  A.  Rollestone,  cashier  Banks  of  Victor  and  Cripple  Creek. 

Ralph  A.  Airheart,  Rocky  Mountain  Gold  Mining  Company. 

C.  E.  Miesse,  Cripple  Creek  Homestake  Mining  and  Reduction  Company. 

Paul  M.  North,  postmaster,  Goldfield. 

Frank  M.  Woods,  Woods  Investment  Company. 

Chas.  H.  Waldron,  Last  Dollar  Gold  Mining  Company. 

W.  H.  Littell,  "Big  Twenty"  Gold  Mining  Company. 

P.  E.  C.  Burke,  Nevada-Kawich  Mining  and  Milling  Company. 

J.  M.  Parfet,  manager  Gold  Exploration  Tunnel  Company. 

C.  E.  Copeland,  manager  Taylor  &  Brunton  Sampling  Company. 
Carl  Johnson,  mine  operator. 

Geo.  F.  Fry,  manager  Cripple  Creek  Sampler. 
Hon.  T.  H.  Thomas,  Judge  County  Court. 
John  T.  Hawkins,  Altman  Water  Company. 
J.  C.  Staats,  chief  assayer  Portland  Mine. 

D.  H.  Franks,  Kentucky  Gold  Mining  Company. 
Gen.  F.  M.  Reardon,  postmaster,  Victor. 

S.  A.  Phipps,  county  treasurer  and  president  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
Cripple  Creek. 

W.  E.  Dingman,  county  clerk. 

In  conclusion,  permit  me  on  behalf  of  the  executive  committee,  to  cor- 
dially thank  the  Portland  Commercial  Club  and  especially  its  able  manager, 
Mr.  Tom  Richardson,  for  the  splendid  manner  in  which  the  congress  lias  been 
assisted.  Thanks  are  also  due  to  Mr.  H.  M.  Cake,  president  of  the  Portland 
Commercial  Club;  to  Mr.  W.  D.  Wheelwright,  president  of  the  Portland 
Chamber  of  Commerce;  to  Mr.  D.  W.  Allen,  president  of  the  Portland  Board 
of  trade,  for  their  co-operation  which  has  been  so  cheerfully  extended.  Also 
to  Hon.  Harry  Lane,  mayor  of  Portland;  to  President  H.  W.  Goode  and  his 
assistants  of  the  Exposition  management,  and  to  Hon.  Geo.  E.  Chamberlain, 
governor  of  Oregon,  all  of  whom  have  personally  co-operated  with  your 
secretary. 

There  has  been  harmonious  action  everywhere,  and  all  interests  con- 
tributing, the  work  of  your  committee  has  been  greatly  strengthened.  Special 
thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Theodore  B.  Wilcox,  our  distinguished  president,  who 
has  devoted  his  time  and  counsel  for  over  two  months  and  has  aided  your 
secretary  materially  in  the  preparation  of  the  splendid  programme  which  is 
now  before  you. 

Thanks  are  also  due  to  the  press  of  Portland,  to  the  Associated  Press, 
to  the  Scripps  News  Service  and  to  the  other  news  associations  for  their 
most  valuable  aid.  No  session  of  this  congress  has  been  conducted  under 
more  favorable  conditions,  and  it  is  our  belief  that  the  Portland  gathering 
will  stand  out  in  the  history  of  our  organization  as  its  most  successful  session. 


140  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

Every  pledge  made  by  Portland  at  the  St.  Louis  session  has  been  kept, 
and  the  business  men  of  Portland  have  even  gone  beyond  the  expectations 
of  the  committee. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

ARTHUR  F.   FRANCIS,   Secretary. 

MR.  H.  T.  CLARKE:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  desire  to  read  a  resolu- 
tion that  I  have  prepared,  and  which  I  expected  to  offer  following 
a  paper  which  I  expect  to  read  tomorrow  on  the  subject  of  rivers 
and  harbors.  Anticipating  that  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  may 
report  tomorrow,  I  wish  to  offer  this  now,  and  have  it  referred  to 
the  committee  immediately.  My  resolution  is  as  follows: 

BOND  ISSUE  FOR  RIVER  IMPROVEMENTS. 

Resolved,  That  with  the  many  large  and  pressing  demands  on  the  treas- 
ury for  the  improvement  of  our  rivers,  harbors  and  waterways,  and  the 
inability  to  grant  funds  from  the  internal  revenues,  that  congress  be  asked 
to  provide  means  for  the  speedy  improvement  of  our  national  waterways  and 
harbors,  so  as  to  accommodate  the  largest  steamers  and  steamships  that  wish 
to  use  the  same,  by  issuance  of  at  least  $200,000,000  of  2  per  cent  bonds,  to 
advance  the  work  under  way  and  supply  other  needs  as  fast  as  can  be  done 
with  due  regard  to  economy. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  It  will  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions. 

Whereupon,  on  motion  duly  seconded,  the  Congress  adjourned 
until  7 :30  p.  m. 

AUDITORIUM,,  7 :30  p.  M. 

HON.  L.  BRADFORD  PRINCE,  presiding. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — As  this  evening  has 
been  set  apart  by  the  executive  committee  for  an  illustrated  lecture 
upon  the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  no  business  will  be  in  order. 
I  will  take  the  opportunity,  however,  to  express  our  great  satisfac- 
tion at  the  splendid  audience  which  has  here  gathered.  The  lecture 
with  which  you  will  be  entertained  is  under  the  auspices  of  the 
interior  department,  permission  for  which  was  obtained  after  con- 
siderable labor  on  the  part  of  the  executive  committee. 

Mr.  Barry  Bulkley  who,  in  his  capacity  as  lecturer,  represents 
the  government,  is  well  known  to  you  personally,  and  because  of  his 
great  ability  and  reputation  stands  high  in  the  public  service  and  in 
the  esteem  of  the  people  at  large.  I  have  now  the  pleasure  of  in- 
troducing to  you  Mr.  Bulkley.  ^pr 

MR.  BULKLEY: 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  that  I  am  as  highly  gratified  as  your 
chairman,  Governor  Prince,  of  New  Mexico,  at  the  flattering  tribute  you  have 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  141 

paid  me  by  your  presence.  The  lecture  which  I  will  present  relates  to  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  and  is  one  of  the  most  popular  efforts  of  the  kind 
presented  by  the  government. 

SYNOPSIS    OF    YELLOWSTONE    LECTURE    DELIVERED    BY 
BARRY  BULKLEY   OF  WASHINGTON,  D.   C. 

I.     Brief  sketch  of  park's  discovery.     Incidents  leading  thereto. 
II.     Ways  of  reaching  park. 
III.     Station  at  Gardiner  as  point  of  entrance. 
IV.     Description  of  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  Terraces. 
V.     Lecturer    then    fully    describes    the    method    of    transportation, 
the  work  of  the  government  in  repairing  and  maintaining  the  roads,  and 
then   with   the   aid   of   over   100   views    takes   his    audience    on    the    trip 
through  the  park,  using  the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  as  a  starting  point. 
He   dwells   upon   the   characteristics   of  the   geyser  and   pool   formation 
as  well   as  the  peculiarities   of  the   basins,   shows   the  falls,   the   rivers, 
the    cataracts,    speaks    of   the    animal    life    of   the    park,    and    closes    his 
lecture  with  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  Grand  Canyon. 

.  9 :30  P.  M.,  the  congress  adjourned  to  meet  at  9 :30  A.  M. 
Saturday  morning. 


142  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 


FOURTH  DAY 

AUDITORIUM,  LEWIS  AND  CLARK  EXPOSITION  GROUNDS, 

August  19,  1905,  9  :30  A.  M. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  at  the  usual  time,  Vice- 
President  John  Henry  Smith,  of  Utah,  in  the  chair. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  first  thing  on  our  programme  this  morn- 
ing is  a  paper  entitled  "The  New  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor,"  by  General  John  W.  Noble,  whom  I  now  have  the  pleasure 
to  introduce.  (Applause.) 

GEN.  JOHN  W.  NOBLE: 

THE  NEW  "DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE  AND  LABOR." 

Mr.  President  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — The  advent  of  the  department  of 
commerce  and  labor  is  gratifying  to  this  Congress,  now  in  its  sixteenth  annual 
session,  and  which  has  for  many  years  past  advocated  the  recognition  by  con- 
gress of  these  great  interests  in  the  form  now  granted.  To  all  our  people  it 
it  also  an  important  event  because  of  the  growing  influence  its  administration 
must  undoubtedly  exert  upon  the  future  welfare  of  our  people. 

The  fifty-seventh  congress  established  this  department  by  the  act  approved 
February  14,  1903,  and  without  delay  its  secretary  was  appointed  by  the,  presi- 
dent and  confirmed  by  the  senate;  he  becoming,  by  the  practice  as  to  such 
matters,  the  ninth  member  of  the  cabinet 

The  department  is  "to  foster,  promote  and  develop  the  foreign  and  do- 
mestic commerce,  the  mining,  manufacturing,  shipping  and  fishing  industries, 
the  labor  interests  and  the  transportation  facilities  of  the  United  States,"  with 
control  of  certain  specified  bureaus  of  the  public  service,  and  with  other  pre- 
scribed powers  and  duties. 

These  words  of  the  statute  present  at  a  glance  the  grand  scope  and 
might  of  this  new  arm  of  administration,  embracing  a  group  of  interests  than 
which  none  the  people  have  are  more  vital  to  our  prosperity. 

COMMERCIAL   BODIES    CONGRATULATED. 

You  will  remember  that  at  successive  meetings  of  this  Congress  for  many 
years  past,  the  question  as  to  the  necessity  of  such  a  department  has  been  most 
seriously,  and,  at  times,  it  may  be  said,  heatedly  discussed  by  our  members. 
At  our  meeting  at  Houston,  in  1899,  a  "department  of  commerce  and  manu- 
factures" was  recommended  by  a  resolution  unanimously  adopted.  The  St. 
Louis  chamber  of  commerce,  the  largest  west  of  the  Mississippi,  was  a  con- 
stant friend  of  the  measure.  The  particular  form  of  title  which  the  act  at 
last  assumed,  "commerce  and  labor,"  was  not  then  anticipated.  At  our  session 
at  Cripple  Creek  the  mining  interests  were  deemed  by  many  of  sufficient 
importance  to  entitle  them  to  a  separate  department,  or  at  least  to  be  as- 
sociated with  commerce  in  the  title.  But  it  is  apparent  that  congress  has 
endeavored  to  embrace  along  with  foreign  and  domestic  commerce  under  the 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  143 

name  "labor,"  in  a  comprehensive  sense,  most  of  the  great  remaining  inter- 
ests yet  subject  to  governmental  control:  those  of  mining,  manufacturing, 
shipping,  fishing  and  transportation,  and  has  placed  their  promotion  under  the 
immediate  care  of  one  head. 

ONE  SECRETARY  OF  ADVANTAGE. 

That  all  these  interests  are  to  be  represented  by  one  secretary  should 
be  no  cause  for  disappointment  to  any  one  of  them,  nor  should  it  lead  to  any 
feeling  of  uneasiness  that  it,  in  particular,  is  entitled  to  more  dignity  or  to 
more  consideration  than  it  will  receive.  The  department  is  a  unit,  the  secre- 
tary represents  each  and  every  part.  He  is  primarily  an  executive  officer,  and 
will  officially  be  present  as  much  in  one  bureau  as  another.  Labor,  in  all  its 
branches,  either  that  of  mining  or  any  other,  is  as  much  under  his  care  as 
the  interests  of  commerce,  and  whether  labor  is  mentioned  in  the  second  place, 
in  the  title,  or  were  not  mentioned  at  all,  can  make  no  difference  in  this 
regard,  any  more  than  it  does  that  manufactures,  or  navigation  or  the  census, 
each,  is  not  given  a  separate  department.  They  severally,  in  fact,  have  a 
secretary,  just  as  much  as  pensions,  or  the  public  lands  or  patents  are  sev- 
erally represented  by  the  secretary  of  the  interior.  The  secretary  of  either 
of  the  established  departments  takes  with  him  into  all  cabinet  meetings  the 
interests  of  all  the  bureaus  in  his  charge,  about  which  to  consult  and  advise 
with  the  President  and  the  other  members,  just  as  much  as  though  he  were 
styled  secretary  of  this  or  that  in  particular.  He  is  a  secretary  of  a  depart- 
ment by  statute ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  cabinet  by  that  custom,  practiced  first 
by  Washington  and  continued  ever  since  as  the  several  departments  have 
been  recognized.  And  while  our  cabinet  in  our  government  is  not  yet,  with  its 
nine  members,  by  any  means  as  large  as  that  of  some  other  nations,  that 
of  Great  Britain,  for  instance,  it  will,  one  may  be  sure,  be  increased  in  num- 
ber, but  slowly,  if  at  all. 

CLAIMS    OF   LABOR    AND    OF    MINING   TO    SEPARATE    DEPARTMENTS. 

The  claims  of  labor  to  an  independent  department  not  only  were  asserted 
at  the  time  the  bill  that  finally  was  approved  was  pending,  but  so  insisted 
upon  as  to  have  threatened  its  defeat.  This  claim,  as  also  that  of  mining, 
is  not  without  strong  argument  for  its  support,  and  the  country  may  be 
deemed  more  than  ordinarily  fortunate  to  have  had  at  its  head,  at  the  inau- 
guration of  the  department  of  commerce  and  labor,  a  President  who  is  the 
recognized  friend  of  all  great  interests  of  our  country  and  accepted  by  the 
labor  organizations  as  one  in  whose  fairness  and  justice  they  may  well  con- 
fide. Labor  has  so  far  found  no  cause  for  complaint.  The  distinguished  com- 
missioner of  labor  was  at  the  head  of  the  bureau  before  its  introduction  into 
the  department,  and  then,  as  now,  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  those  claiming  to 
particularly  represent  the  labor  of  the  United  States.  Whatever  injustice 
it  may  be  felt  has  been  done  hitherto,  it  will  probably  be  for  some  time 
without  remedy,  and  this  remedy  will  be  more  apt  to  be  attained  by  loyally 
making  the  best  of  matters  as  they  are  and  demonstrating  by  accumulating 
evidence  the  right  to  a  change. 

It  was  said  by  Hon.  James  F.  Stewart  in  the  minority  report  to  the  house 
of  representatives  upon  the  bill  that  was  finally  adopted,  "that  to  him,  the 
alarming  feature  of  the  bill  was  that  in  his  judgment  it  would  result  in  trans- 
ferring all  the  vexed  questions  of  capital  and  labor,  which  for  years  had 
arisen  and  embarrassed  our  state  governments  and  municipalities,  to  the 
plane  of  federal  discussion  and  agitation."  But  if  such  questions  must  occur, 
is  it  not  better  that  instead  of  being  dispersed  and  multiplied  throughout  all 
our  states  and  cities,  thus  being  rendered  impossible  of  harmonious  settle- 
ment, they  should  have  some  common  field  upon  which  their  differences  can 
be  adjusted  by  reason  and  under  authority,  with  full  information  and  knowl- 


144  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

edge ;  and  where  when  a  decision  is  reached  it  may  be  enforced  without  fur- 
ther dispute  or  any  hope  of  successful  resistance? 

SPECIAL    BUREAUS. 

The  bureaus  embraced  within  the  general  purpose  of  this  department  and 
their  work  may  be  epitomized,  according  to  the*  statute  and  the  secretaries' 
reports,  as  comprising  the  investigation  of  the  organization  and  management 
of  corporations  (excepting  railroads),  engaging  in  interstate  commerce;  of 
labor  interests  and  labor  controversies  in  this  and  other  countries;  taking 
the  census,  and  promulgation  of  relative  statistical  information;  information 
relating  to  our  foreign  and  domestic  commerce,  showing  all  imports  and  ex- 
ports, and  the  leading  commercial  movements  in  our  internal  commerce;  dis- 
tributing information  through  the  bureau  of  statistics  regarding  industries 
and  markets  for  the  fostering  of  manufacturing ;  supervision  of  the  fisheries, 
including  the  Alaskan  fur-seal  and  salmon ;  of  the  immigration  of  aliens  and 
of  the  exclusion  of  the  Chinese ;  and  the  custody  and  maintenance  of  stand- 
ards of  weights  and  measures.  There  are  also  the  minor  provisions  relating 
to  the  administration  of  the  lighthouse  service,  protection  of  shipping;  mak- 
ing coast  and  geodetic  surveys;  inspection  of  steamboats;  jurisdiction  over 
the  merchant  vessels,  their  cargoes,  passengers  and  seamen. 

Under  the  supervision  of  the  President,  who  has  from  the  beginning  ex- 
hibited great  interest  in  the  organization,  the  country  has  been  fortunate  in 
having  two  secretaries  who  have  shown  signal  capacity  and  qualifications  for 
the  work,  the  Hon.  George  B.  Cortelyou,  the  first,  succeeded  by  the  Hon.  V. 
H.  Metcalf,  now  in  office ;  and  also  in  having  the  continued  service  of  Car- 
roll D.  Wright,  commissioner  of  labor. 

The  department  has  been  in  operation  now  two  years,  and  has  advanced 
well  toward  thorough  organization,  though  not  completely,  because  of  want 
of  appropriation  for  the  bureau  of  manufactures. 

These  hindrances  are,  however,  temporary,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
it  has  taken  114  years  for  the  government  to  determine  that  commerce  and 
labor  and  the  other  interests  named  are  sufficintly  important  to  demand  a 
separate  department,  means  within  a  reasonable  time,  no  doubt,  will  be  sup- 
plied to  make  all  the  branches  embraced,  operative  and  efficient. 

DEPARTMENT    LARGELY    EDUCATIONAL. 

With  this  cursory  scanning  of  the  interests  intended  to  be  thus  cared 
for,  it  is  apparent  that  accurate  and  reliable  facts  and  ideas  are  to  be  arrived 
at  and  disseminated  among  the  people  in  relation  thereto,  and  opportunity 
of  an  attractive  kind  given  for  all  citizens  to  learn  and  think  not  only  their 
own  peculiar  and  immediate  interests,  but  to  view  them  in  connection  with 
those  of  others,  and  thus  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  rights  and  respon- 
sibilities of  all. 

In  the  department  as  it  is,  there  is  broad  opportunity  given  to  learn 
the  facts,  developed  from  time  to  time,  as  to  our  commerce,  its  growth  or 
decay;  its  relation  to  that  of  other  nations  or  at  home,  and  the  importance 
of  each ;  or  as  to  the  wages  of  labor  in  other  countries  and  here,  the  relative 
comforts  of  living;  as  to  strikes  and  lockouts,  the  advantages  secured  or 
losses  incurred ;  the  conduct  and  results  of  arbitration  of  differences ;  the 
operation  of  business  corporations,  their  various  features  under  the  laws  of 
different  states  and  the  methods  by  which  they  act  independently  and  fairly, 
or  illegally  combine  to  produce  or  tend  to  produce  monopolies;  the  state  of 
our  manufacturers  and  the  articles  made;  what  are  consumed  here  but  not 
made  in  the  United  States;  the  condition  of  our  shipping  and  all  the  facts 
affecting  our  merchant  marine;  the  growth  of  population,  with  all  the  sta- 
tistics that  cluster  around  the  taking  of  the  census,  through  what  is  now  a 
constantly  operative  bureau.  These  and  very  much  more,  not  necessary 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  145 

here  to  be  detailed,  suggest  at  once  that  there  is  a  reliable  standard  of  meas- 
urement here  to  be  raised,  upon  which  a  reliable  judgment  may  be  formed 
by  any  reasoning  man,  and  a  flood  of  light  to  be  poured  forth  that  must  ex- 
pose to  early  and  easy  detection  all  political  chicanery  as  to  these  matters, 
all  unfair  practices  and  dishonest  methods  in  business,  and  all  tricks  of  the 
demagogue  seeking  to  disturb  society  and  mislead  the  people  by  falsehoods 
as  to  actual  conditions. 

As  an  educational  department,  its  beneficial  influence  will  advance  the 
harmony  of  all  our  commercial,  manufacturing,  agricultural,  sociological 
and  political  interests  and  raise  the  people,  already  advancing  rapidly  in  ed- 
ucation, to  a  just  comprehension  of  the  rights,  and,  with  the  rights,  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  all  classes  and  of  all  sections  of  our  common  country. 

It  is  to  be  considered  in  connection  with  the  general  operation  of  this 
department,  that  while  in  and  of  itself  it  will  not  be  expected  to  enter  upon 
a  field  of  debate  in  support  or  opposition  of  legislative  measures  pertaining 
to  the  great  subjects  which  it  is  expected  to  foster  and  promote,  it  must,  by 
its  facts,  be  strongly  influential.  The  information  it  must  acquire  and  com- 
municate, and  the  recommendations  the  President  must  make,  upon  its  re- 
ports will  necessarily  draw  about  it  constant  and  earnest  discussion  by  the 
press,  political  parties  and  the  people.  These  facts  will  indeed  be  the  basis 
of  all  argument — in  fact,  they  will  be  the  arguments;  and  the  departments 
and  the  bureaus  from  which  they  come  will  be  praised  or  blamed  as  interests 
vary.  This  vessel  christened  "Commerce  and  Labor,"  so  long  on  the  ways, 
so  lately  launched,  has  already  been  surrounded  by  a  rough  sea,  and  it  needs 
no  other  foresight  than  that  from  very  recent  and  daily  experience  to  per- 
ceive that,  to  voyage  safely  and  advance  the  general  welfare,  it  must  be 
manned  and  guided  by  firm  hands  and  hearts  staunch  and  loyal  to  our 
country. 

BUREAU  OF  STATISTICS  IS  ALSO  ARGUMENTATIVE. 

There  is  thus  now  brought  into  reasonable  compass  a  comprehensive 
and  reliable  statement  of  facts  upon  these  most  important  subjects  essential 
to  the  intelligent  consideration  of  treaties  and  the  enactment  of  revenue 
legislation.  The  purposes  and  direction  of  the  measures  of  foreign  nations 
as  affecting  the  interests  of  our  country  will  be  constantly  uncovered,  and 
the  opportunities  for  opening  and  expanding  our  foreign  trade  will  be 
easily  perceived.  Already,  with  the  recent  close  of  the  last  fiscal  year,  the 
American  press  is  supplied  with  such  intelligence  as  to  our  whole  field  of 
commerce,  as  already  excites  public  attention;  and  conventions  of  merchants 
and  manufacturers  are  already  frequent  to  discuss  the  great  questions  of 
tariff  and  reciprocity;  the  trade  of  the  Orient;  the  open  door;  our  commerce 
with  China,  with  Germany,  and  other  great  interests  which  are  more  than 
ever  before  considered  aside  from  merely  political  questions  and  are  elevated 
to  the  domain  of  that  statesmanship,  which,  while  it  is  not  aloof  from  the  in- 
fluence of  party,  seeks  first  and  constantly  the  general  welfare. 

The  power  of  congress  to  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations  and 
among  the  several  states  will  through  the  support  of  this  auxiliary  be  directed 
by  even  greater  intelligence  and  patriotism  than  have  so  signally  marked  its 
exercise  through  the  past  century  of  our  national  experience.  No  greater  or 
more  beneficial  results  have  ever  been  attained  by  any  government.  Aided 
as  our  people  has  been  by  a  bountiful  Providence,  the  prosperity  of  our 
country  is  today  the  wonder  of  the  world.  The  foreign  commerce  during 
successive  years  has  constantly  increased.  For  five  years  past  it  has  been 
approaching  two  billions  and  a-  half  dollars,  and  in  the  last  year  it  exceeded 
that,  being  $2,635,970,333;  of  which  imports  were  $1,117,507,500,  and  exports 
$1,518,462,833.  The  value  of  our  exports  has,  since  189,8,  exceeded  those  of 
Great  Britain.  Our  sales  to  other  countries  exceed  those  of  either  England 
or  Germany;  and  the  excess  of  our  exports  over  our  imports  the  last  year 
was  much  over  $400,000,000.  Yet  this  vast  volume  is  but  a  small  per  cent 


146  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

of  our  total  trade,  over  ninety  per  cent  of  which  is  that  belonging  to 
interstate  or  domestic  commerce.  4 

Our  actual  exports  to  China  the  last  year  were  $12,862,432;  and  we 
purchased  from  her  $29,345,081,  and  can  obtain  from  other  countries  if  we 
need  all  the  articles  composing  this,  save,  if  you  please,  say  seven  million 
dollars'  worth  of  tea. 

Our  total  sales  to  Germany  in  1904  amounted  to  $214,000,000,  but  of 
this  more  than  $131,000,000  worth  are  so  absolutely  needed  by  that  country 
they  cannot  be  made  to  bear  any  great  duty — among  others,  raw  cotton 
amounting  alone  to  $109,000,000. 

What  are  such  facts  but  arguments  which  speak  for  themselves? 

It  is  upon  such  an  ocean  of  values,  our  conflicting  interests  with  the 
nations  with  which  we  deal  are  being  borne  onwards. 

As  was  declared  by  President  McKinley  in  his  last  almost  prophetic 
words,  "Competitors  we  are;  enemies  we  must  not  be."  Moreover,  we  must 
never  forget  that  with  all  our  brilliant  prospects,  our  safety  demands  that 
we  advance  the  range  of  our  markets.  There  are  now  more  than  30,000,000 
wageearners  and  10,000,000  farmers  greatly  interested  in  these  foreign  mar- 
kets. Fortunately  they  are  not  vitally  so,  for  the  range  of  our  own  country 
is  so  great  as  to  keep  us  a  great  market  for  all  we  produce — as  we  have  seen. 
Yet  we  are  all  living  with  increasing  wants,  and  population,  with  all  else, 
is  on  the  increase.  A  failure  of  crops;  a  sudden  cessation  of  any  great  de- 
mand at  home  or  abroad  for  our  products ;  a  shrinkage  of  value  or  a  consid- 
erable decline  in  wages,  either  would  be  a  serious  matter,  against  which  the 
lovers  of  peace,  as  we  all  are,  must  more  fervently  pray  and  work. 

THE   INTERESTS   OF   LABOR. 

If  we  now  turn  to  the  other  great  subject  embraced  in  this  department, 
that  of  labor,  we  find  it  closely  knit  in  the  warp  and  woof  of  our  organic 
law.  Within  that  independence  declared  and  achieved  by  the  Revolution,  es- 
tablishing the  right  of  every  man  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness, 
or,  in  a  word,  to  reap  the  reward  of  his  own  labor,  was  particularly  protected 
by  the  constitution  the  freedom  of  every  inhabitant  of  either  state,  to  go  or 
come  among  all  the  states  without  impairment  of  any  of  these  rights  pro- 
nounced inalienable.  The  constitution  declares,  "The  citizens  of  each  state 
shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  citizens  in  the  sev- 
eral states."  Every  one  can  freely  go  where  he  deems  he  can  better  his  for- 
tune. Wherever  wages  are  best,  labor  can  go  and  receive  its  reward  with- 
out hindrance  or  license.  The  mechanic  with  his  tools,  the  merchant  with 
his  goods,  the  professional  man  or  the  minister  are  entitled  to  enter  upon 
their  work  with  as  much  freedom  in  one  state  as  another.  Th;s  peculiar 
immunity  has  been  a  source  of  inestimable  advantage  to  our  pioneers,  to  the 
early  settlers,  to  the  unfortunate  in  financial  panics,  and  all  these  seeking 
new  fields  of  endeavor.  It  has  been  most  sacredly  guarded  by  our  courts.  It 
lies  at  the  foundation  alike  of  our  domestic  commerce  and  that  ^qual  right 
to  labor  throughout  the  Union,  which  have  made  this  commerce  the  wonder 
and  envy  of  every  other  nation,  and  elevated  the  labor  of  America  to  physical 
comforts,  educational  advantages  and  breadth  of  intelligence  unattainable 
elsewhere.  The  product  of  our  nation's  labor,  in  every  field,  or  the  extent 
of  our  domestic  commerce,  are  of  such  vast  proportions  that  the  figures  to 
express  them  are,  as  we  have  seen,  almost  incomprehensible  in  their  separate 
significance  and  must  be  measured  by  comparison  with  lesser  quantities  of 
like  or  kindred  results,  to  be  at  all  understood.  Together  they  make  and 
support  our  national  power. 

In  the  early  days  of  our  republic,  labor  had  not  assumed  the  attitude  of 
today,  any  more  than  wealth  was  deemed  in  anywise  opposed  to  labor.  In 
those  days  control  did  not  come  from  wealth  or  the  want  of  it,  neither 
from  its  power  nor  by  prejudice  against  it;  that  was  not  the  era  of  the  plu- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  147 

tocrat  or  the  demagogue.  The  qualities  insuring  influence  and  popularity 
were  character,  integrity  and  public  spirit.  A  sympathetic  interest  in  a  neigh- 
bor's welfare  and  a  love  of  country,  the  local  and  national  expressions  of 
patriotism,  influenced  essentially  the  pursuits  of  private  life  and  the  per- 
formance of  public  duties.  Would  it  were  so  now. 

But  in  the  lapse  of  this  century  or  more,  during  which  this  department 
has  been  growing  into  form,  matters  of  this  nature  have  changed.  Capital 
has  grown  great  in  the  hands  of  individuals  or  corporations,  and  while  on 
the  one  hand  it  advances  commerce  and  establishes  a  thousand  advantages 
and  bestows  inestimable  comforts  on  society,  it,  on  the  other  hand,  has  dis- 
played in  many  instances  a  defiant  and  lawless  disposition  threatening  to 
the  general  welfare.  Labor  also  has  so  organized  as  to  insist  upon  certain 
well-founded  and  acknowledged  rights  and  privileges  and  to  guard  against 
the  advancing  power  of  capital ;  but  also  has  often  sought  to  attain  Its  pur- 
poses by  means  both  illegal  and  destructive  of  the  rights  of  individuals.  The 
questions  arising  from  these  conditions  are  of  public  concern  and  have  become 
of  the  greatest  significance  and  of  the  widest  application. 

COMMERCE    AND    LABOR    UNITED. 

In  this  great  department  we  have  these  great  beneficial  and  essential 
interests  standing  substantially  together,  one  with  the  other,  subject  to  a 
common  investigation  and  under  one  "fostering  care  and  promotion."  Labor 
taken  in  its  most  general  and  comprehensive  term  produces  commerce,  and 
commerce,  in  its  circulation  keeps  labor  employed.  Commerce  includes 
labor,  but  needs  additional  aid  from  intelligence — just  as  improved  nr;..chinery 
must  be  made  by  labor,  but  from  the  thought  embodied  in  it  transcends  mere 
labor  many  fold.  Without  labor  there  would  have  been  nothing,  and  would 
now,  soon,  be  nothing  to  exchange  through  the  channels  of  commerce.  Con- 
tinuous production  supplies  the  waste  that  consumption  constantly  creates. 
While  commerce  finds  its  great  and  beneficent  occupation  in  distributing 
among  the  nations  and  the  peoples  of  the  world  the  products  of  labor,  labor 
finds  its  worth  and  reward  in  keeping  the  channels  of  commerce  full  and 
flowing.  In  a  new  sense  and  yet  with  apt  application,  it  may  be  said,  in 
the  language  of  the  maritime  law,  "freight  is  the  mother  of  wages."  There 
must  be  profit  or  there  can  be  no  content. 

The  different  bureaus,  named  in  the  act,  are  but  different  fields  upon 
which  labor  works;  where  it  displays  its  efficacy  and  its  power.  When  labor 
becomes  disorganized,  then  all  things  are  at  stake;  it  is  only  when  it  is  for- 
tunate and  contented  and  enjoying  an  equality  that  will  keep  it  so,  that  we 
may  expect  it  to  continue  to  be  the  source  of  our  national  happiness. 

Thus,  in  a  general  view,  it  is  at  once  apparent  that  the  grand  department 
to  which  our  attention  is  being  given  is  comprehensive  of  the  greatest  inter- 
ests of  our  whole  country. 

CORPORATIONS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 

If  we  pass  to  a  brief  consideration  of  the  demands  for  present  inquiry 
and  regulation,  probably  the  most  untried  and  yet  interesting  problems  im- 
mediately presented  in  administration  are  those  connected  with  corporations 
for  gain.  There  is  no  question  remaining  in  the  public  mind  but  that  these 
creations  of  not  only  modern  but  most  recent  times,  in  their  present  form, 
have  attained  such  wealth  and  influence,  and  developed  such  disposition 
am!  tendencies  that  they  should  be  made  to  realize  most  emphatically  that 
they  are  under  a  supreme  authority,  and  that  their  own  pecuniary  success  is 
not  to  be  their  sole,  nor,  indeed,  their  chief  reason  to  exist,  but  that  the 
power  to  make  them  was  given  by  the  people  to  the  state  or  nation  for  the 
benefit  of  the  commonwealth,  and  that  this  power  to  make  can  unmake  them 
when  they  fail  wilfully  to  answer  the  purposes  of  their  creation.  It  can,  if 


148  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

nothing  more,  destroy  the  power  of  one  corporation  to  own  or  hold  the  stock 
of  any  other  for  the  purpose  of  management  or  control  of  that  other. 

PUBLIC  OPINION. 

This  public  opinion  is  strongly  established.  It  is  not  confined  to  any 
particular  kind  of  corporation,  but  embraces  those  engaged  in  all  business, 
whether  manufactures,  transportation,  insurance  or  other,  and  whether  en- 
gaged within  the  confines  of  a  state  alone,  or  carrying  on  commerce  among 
the  states  or  with  foreign  nations.  The  supreme  power  of  the  state,  or  of 
the  United  States,  it  is  demanded,  shall  control  them  to  be  just  and  honest. 

This  public  judgment  does  not  arise  from  any  jealousy  of  or  antipathy 
against  corporations ;  whether  railroads  or  of  any  other  kind.  It  is  a  petu- 
lant flout,  by  the  subject  of  this  intended  control,  to  cry  out  that  it  comes 
from  a  disposition  to  oppose  progress,  to  ignore  the  benefits,  that  have  been 
conferred  by  these  great  and  enterprising  organizations,  binding  the  continent 
together  and  alleviating  the  conditions  of  mankind  by  numberless  blessings. 
This  disposition  is  not  that  at  work;  no  more  so  than  it  was  in  the  mind  of 
Chief  Justice  Marshall,  when  declaring  the  power  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States  to  annul  a  decree  of  a  court  of  New  York,  as  to  naviga- 
tion of  the  Hudson  river,  to  disparage  that  great  state,  or  to  deny  its  service 
in  the  past  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  its  existence  for  the  prosperity  of 
the  Union. 

Government  is  meant  to  control,  and  ours  that  has  announced  that  the 
power  to  regulate  is  the  power  to  rule  and  is  supreme  in  its  ordained  field, 
we  may  be  sure,  will  move  to  its  design  like  fate  and  by  ways  and  through 
means,  not  now  possibly  altogether  well  defined,  but  that  will  be  both  legal, 
efficient  and  all-sufficient. 

MEANS  OF  ENFORCEMENT. 

The  department  does  not  have  power  to  enforce  its  own  conclusions, 
even  if  it  is  expected  to  formulate  them,  on  all  subjects  within  its  jurisdic- 
tion of  investigation.  Where  this  power  should  be  placed  is  a  question  af- 
fecting the  whole  field  of  controversy  now  agitated  by  the  question  relating 
to  transportation,  monopolies,  illegal  combinations ;  even  as  to  the  vital  con- 
troversies about  tariff,  reciprocity  and  the  health  and  vigor  of  both  our  for- 
eign and  domestic  commerce.  It,  however,  seems  to  be  established  beyond 
doubt  that  the  legislature  has  power  to  fix  rates  for  transportation  by  com- 
mon carriers,  and  tha.t  it  can  be  exercised  by  boards  or  commissioners  au- 
thorized for  the  purpose  by  legislative  act,  and  within  the  limit  of  not  de- 
stroying the  property  and  business  so  regulated,  that  legislative  po\ver  is 
effective  and  final;  that  the  judiciary  can  annul  illegal  combinations  to  pre- 
vent competition  in  trade ;  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  as  to 
interstate  or  international  commerce  can  and  will  act  to  set  aside  corporate 
action  creating  or  even  tending  to  create  monopoly  or  contravening  their 
anti-trust  statutes. 

By  what  particular  measures  these  great  restraints 'may  be  imposed  and 
made  felt  by  the  subjects,  so  that  they  will  obey,  it  is  not  now  and  here 
possible  to  fully  consider.  But  it  may  be  relied  on  as  certain  that  where 
the  power  exists  to  eradicate  such  evils,  and  the  public  intelligence  is  aiert 
to  support  the  executive,  that  power  will  be  exerted  until  the  evil  is  aban- 
doned ;  soon  abandoned  it  will  be.  Its  declaration  of  purpose  with  its  known 
power,  in  and  of  itself,  begins  the  disintegration  of  lawless  combinations. 
It  is  like  a  judgment  at  law  by  a  court  of  competent  authority  against  a 
municipality.  A  writ  of  execution  may  be  returned  unsatisfied,  term  after 
term,  from  an  inability  to  find  such  property  as  can  be  sold  by  the  sheriff  or 
marshal,  but  the  fact  of  the  judgment  pending  works  upon  the  credit  of 
that  community,  renders  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  uneasy  and  embarrassed, 
because  it  is  a  force  liable  any  day  to  become  potent ;  and  that  innate  regard 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  149 

for  law  and  patriotic  pride  in  the  good  name  of  the  place  where  one  resides, 
make  the  judgment  a  legal  and  constantly  growing  burden,  to  be  at  last  re- 
moved by  any  and  all  means  within  the  debtor's  control.  So,  if  the  practice 
of  men,  however  powerful  and  however  estimable  their  achievements  may 
have  been,  have  grown  evil,  illegal  and  injurious  to  the  common  weal  in  cer- 
tain particulars,  and  the  state  has  the  power  to  regulate  the  business  in  which 
these  practices  exist,  and  the  disposition  to  attack  is  exhibited  by  the  state, 
and  it  does  assault  the  wrong,  the  victory  of  law  and  order  is  sure  and  not 
far  away. 

COMMERCE  AND  NATIONAL  POWER. 

A  short  consideration  here  may  not  be  untimely  of  the  source  of  this 
power  in  the  national  government ;  how  early  and  how  often  it  has  been  de- 
clared, and  what  is  the  spirit  at  this  very  day  of  the  law  to  assert  itself,  and 
the  destructive  force  with  which  it  has  moved  and  is  now  moving.  National 
power  arid  commerce  have  been  close  friends  and  allies.  Indeed,  it  was  th? 
interests  of  commerce  that  compelled  the  organization  of  our  present  national 
government. 

In  the  period  between  the  peace  of  1783  with  Great  Britain,  whereby  our 
independence  as  a  nation  was  acknowledged,  and  the  inauguration  of  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  in  1789,  was  a  period  of  great  depression 
and  distress  to  the  commerce  of  the  United  States,  then  acting  under  their 
Articles  of  Confederation.  During  this  time,  among  other  lamentable  events, 
the  Barbary  Corsairs  were  from  time  to  time  seizing  our  ships,  carrying  them 
to  their  ports  in  Algiers  and  Morocco,  imprisoning  our  citizens  and  com- 
pelling them  to  peform  the  most  degraded  service,  attended  with  horrors  un- 
speakable. It  was  debated  between  such  great  and  brave  men  as  John 
Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson  in  their  correspondence  (the  propositions 
being  numerically  stated  and  categorically  replied  to),  whether  it  would  be 
better  to  pay  tribute  to  these  pirates  of  the  Barbary  coast,  and  thus  gain 
their  favor,  or  take  up  arms  and  conquer  their  regard;  a  debate  which  lasted 
even  up  to  the  time  of  the  inauguration  of  our  constitution.  By  this  organic 
law  the  national  power  was  first  given  into  one  hand,  and  under  it  soon  grew 
up  our  navy,  the  guardian  of  commerce  ani  which  now  is  back  of  it  on  all 
the  seas. 

Hamilton  had  also  argued,  "The  rights  of  neutrality  will  only  be  re-* 
spected  when  they  are  defended  by  an  adequate  power.  A  nation,  despicable 
by  its  weakness,  forfeits  even  the  privilege  of  being  neutral." 

CHIEF   JUSTICE    MARSHALL. 

It  was  to  this  that  Chief  Justice  Marshall  referred  in  one  of  his  great 
opinions  interpreting  the  commercial  clause  of  our  constitution,  providing 
that  congress  shall  have  power  "to  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations 
and  among  the  several  states,"  saying:  "The  depressed  and  degraded  state 
of  commerce  previous  to  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  can  scarcely  be 
forgotten.  It  was  regulated  by  foreign  nations  with  a  single  view  to  their 
own  interests;  and  our  disunited  efforts  to  counteract  their  restrictions  were 
rendered  impotent  by  want  of  combination.  Congress,  indeed,  possessed  the 
power  of  making  treaties,  but  the  inability  of  the  federal  government  to  en- 
force them  had  become  so  apparent  as  to  render  their  power  in  a  great  degree 
useless.  *  *  *  It  may  be  doubted  whether  any  of  the  evils  proceeding 
ftnm  the  feebleness  of  the  federal  government  contributed  more  to  the  great 
revolution  which  introduced  the  present  system  than  the  deep  and  general 
conviction  that  commerce  ought  to  be  regulated  by  congress.  *  *  To 
construe  the  power  so  as  to  impair  its  efficiency  would  tend  to  defeat  an 
object  in  the  attainment  of  which  the  American  public  took,  and  justly  took, 
that  strong  interest  which  arose  from  the  full  conviction  of  its  necessity." 


150  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

Not  only  is  it  thus  perceived  that  commerce  was  the  organizing  force 
of  our  government,  but  you  will  agree  that  among  the  blessings  of  God  be- 
stowed upon  our  country  and  not  the  least  was  that  such  a  great  mind  as 
Marshall's  was  given  the  place  and  the  power  to  expound  the  constitution 
upon  the  broad  and  national  principles  he  adopted.  By  these  our  country  has 
been  sustained  in  its  greatness  and  progress.  It  was  in  relation  to  this  power 
to  regulate  commerce  that,  in  this  same  great  opinion,  it  was  announced  that 
"the  power  to  regulate  is  to  prescribe  the  rule  by  which  commerce  is  to  be 
governed,"  and  that  "this  power,  like  all  others  vested  in  congress,  is  com- 
plete in  itself,  may  be  exercised  to  the  utmos.t  extent,  and  acknowledges  no 
limitations  other  than  are  prescribed  in  the  constitution."  "The  power  claimed 
by  the  state  (this,  in  the  case  then  before  the  court  was  the  state  of  New 
York),  is  in  its  nature  in  conflict  with  that  given  to  congress,  and  the  greater 
or  less  extent  in  which  it  may  be  exercised  does  not  enter  into  the  inquiry 
concerning  these  questions."  *  *  *  "That  which  is  not  supreme  must 
yield,  to  that  which  is  supreme." 

NATIONAL  POWER  TO  REGULATE   COMMERCE   NOW   AGGRESSIVE. 

These  announcements  are  worth  recalling  in  their  original  and  effective 
words,  at  a  time  when  this  same  supreme  power  is  either  questioned  or 
defied  by  many  an  organization  no  more  to  be  compared  to  the  great  state  of 
New  York  than  a  mole  hill  to  a  mountain ;  and  for  us  also  now  to  remember 
that  that  great  Empire  state  loyally  and  peaceably  saw  the  decrees  of  her 
highest  courts  set  aside  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
powers  of  congress  to  regulate  the  affairs  of  commerce  between  states,  or 
with  foreign  nations,  even  on  the  Hudson  river,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  made 
absolute.  The  principle  is  old,  indeed,  but  it  is  vital  and  full  of  vigor,  and 
now,  girdling  itself  to  master  the  field  of  commerce  and  transportation,  no 
longer  on  the  sea  alone,  but  through  all  the  land. 

NORTHERN    SECURITIES    CASE. 

It  is  but  a  short  time  since  in  the  "Northern  Securities  case,"  Justice 
Harlan,  in  delivering  the  opinion  of  the  court,  stated  that: 

"In  Cohens  vs.  Virginia,  this  court  said,  that  the  United  States  were, 
for  many  important  purposes,  'a  single  nation,'  and  that  'in  all  commercial 
regulations  we  were  one  and  the  same  people'  " ;  and  he  continued,  "it  has 
since  frequently  declared  that  commerce  among  the  several  states  was  a  unit 
and  subjct  to  national  control.  Previously,  in  McCulloch  vs.  Maryland,  the 
court  had  said  that  the  government  ordained  and  established  by  the  consti- 
tution was  within  the  limit  of  the  powers  granted  to  it.  The  government  is 
of  all;  its  powers  are  delegated  by  all;  it  represents  all,  and  acts  for  all, 
and  was  supreme  within  the  sphere  of  its  action.'  As  late  as  the  case  of 
In  re  Debs,  this  court,  every  member  of  it  concurring,  said,  'The  entire 
strength  of  the  nation  may  be  used  to  enforce  in  any  part  of  the  land  the  full 
and  free  exercise  of  all  national  powers  and  the  security  by  all  rights  en- 
trusted by  the  constitution  to  its  care.  The  strong  arm  of  the  national  gov- 
ernment may  be  put  forth  to  brush  away  all  obstructions  to  the  freedom 
of  interstate  commerce  and  the  transportation  of  the  mails.  If  the  emergency 
arises,  the  army  of  the  nation,  and  all  its  militia,  are  at  the  service  of  the 
nation  to  compel  obedience  of  its  laws." 

.  It  was  then  further  declared,  "The  means  employed  in  respect  of  the 
combinations  forbidden  by  the  anti-trust  act,  and  which  congress  deemed 
germane  to  the  end  to  be  accomplished,  was  to  prescribe  as  a  rule,  for  inter- 
state and  international  commerce  (not  for  domestic  commerce),  that  it 
should  not  be  vexed  by  combinations,  conspiracies  or  monopolies  which  re- 
strain commerce  by  restraining  or  restricting  competition.  *  *  *  In  other 
words,  that  to  destroy  or  restrict  free  competition  in  interstate  commerce 
was  to  restrain  such  commerce.  *  *  *  Congress  has  in  effect  recognized 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  151 

the  rule  of  free  competition  by  declaring  illegal  every  combination  or  con- 
spiracy in  restraint  of  interstate  and  international  commerce,  *  *  *  and 
as  it  has  embodied  that  rule  in  a  statute  that  must  be,  for  all,  the  end  of  the 
matter  if  this  is  to  remain  a  government  of  laws  and  not  of  men." 

NATIONAL    AUTHORITY    NOW    AGGRESSIVE. 

There  are  the  words  of  the  supreme  authority  from  its  seat  of  final 
j  udgment. 

Is  it  surprising,  then,  when  these  great  governmental  forces  are  like 
battalions  in  line,  each  with  its  legal  and  controlling  proposition,  copied 
from  the  national  constitution,  inscribed  on  the  emblem  of  our  nation's  force, 
that  our  chief  executive  be  found  reviewing  on  every  opportune  occasion 
these  peaceful  but  irresistible  powers,  and  making  ready  to  move  them 
as  they  have  moved  of  old — -to  preserve  the  honor,  dignity,  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  our  people?  This  is  not  to  be  an  irrepressible  conflict.  It. is  an 
ordinary  question  whether  obedience  to  well-known  and  often  declared 
national  purposes  and  demands  shall  be  willing  or  enforced.  That  nation 
has  never  yet  failed  to  maintain  itself  upon  the  side  of  justice,  and  justice 
is  as  sure  to  be  the  outcome  of  its  due  administration  as  the  growth  and 
ripening  of  the  harvest  are  to  follow  the  coming  on  of  the  summer  sun ;  and 
the  stream  of  our  foreign  and  interstate  commerce  will  sweep  away  all 
barriers  and  illegal  contrivances  to  hinder  it  and  move  on  with  increasing 
power  as  the  majestic  Mississippi,  now  all  danger  over,  flows  unvexed 
to  the  sea. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  next  thing  will  be  reports  of  com- 
mittees. 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS  submitted  the  report 'of  the  Committee  on 
Permanent  Organization  as  follows : 

PERMANENT  ORGANIZATION. 

To  the  President  and  Delegates  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Con- 
gress: 

We,  your   Committee   on    Permanent   Organization,   would   respectfully 
report  the  selection  of  the  following  officers  for  the  ensuing  year : 
President — Hon.   David  R.  Francis,   St.  Louis,  Mo. 
First  Vice-President — Col.  H.  D.  Loveland,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Second  Vice-President — Hon.  L.  Bradford  Prince,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Third  Vice-President — N.  G.  Larimore,  Larimore,  N.  D. 
Fourth  Vice-President — C.   A.   Fellows,  Topeka,   Kan. 
Secretary — Arthur  F.   Francis,   Cripple  Creek,  Colo. 
Treasurer — H.  B.  Topping,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Respectfully  reported. 

COMMITTEE  ON  PERMANENT  ORGANIZATION, 

L.    Bradford    Prince,    Chairman. 
Arthur   F.    Francis,    Secretary. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE  moved  the  adoption  of  the  report  of  the 
committee,  which  motion  was  seconded  and  carried,  and  the  report 
was  declared  adopted. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :    Are  there  any  other  reports  ? 


152  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE  :  I  have  the  report  of  the  special  committee 
on  the  Revision  of  By-Laws  and  Rules.  I  may  state  that  it  is  not 
so  much  a  revision  as  it  is  a  compilation.  In  order  to  place  each 
subject  separately  by  itself,  under  articles  and  sections,  it  has  been 
considered  as  carefully  as  possible  by  the  committee,  and  a  few  ad- 
ditions have  been  made  in  the  interest  of  clearness ;  but  otherwise  it 
is  very  much  as  it  stood  before. 

A  motion  was  made  and  seconded  that  the  report  be  adopted 
without  reading. 

The  motion  was  carried. 

(The  by-laws  as  revised  are  found  in  the  opening  pages  of  this 
report. — Secretary. ) 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  special  order  fixed  for  10  o'clock  this 
morning,  which  hour  has  gone  by,  was  the  selection  of  the  next 
meeting  place.  What  is  the  pleasure  of  the  congress? 

GEN.  WILLIAMS  (North  Dakota)  :  I  have  a  letter  I  would 
like  to  pass  to  the  secretary. 

A  delegate  moved  that  the  Congress  proceed  with  the  call  of 
states  on  the  question  of  selecting  a  place  for  the  next  meeting. 

PLACE  OF  NEXT  MEETING. 
THE  CHAIRMAN  :    Very  well,  the  states  will  be  called. 

MR.  FROST  asked  that  the  secretary  read  the  number  of  votes 
each  state  is  entitled  to,  when  calling  the  name  of  the  state. 

The  call  of  states  was  proceeded  with,  and  when  Colorado  was 
called,  Secretary  Francis  read  the  following  letters  and  telegrams: 

Denver,  Colo.,  August  18,  1905. 
John   T.    Burns,    Portland,    Or.: 

To  Trans-Mississippi  Congress — Our  national  convention  here  this  week 
best  in  our  history  Entertainment  royal  and  weather  fine.  Better  try  it 
yourselves  next  year. 

FRATERNAL  ORDER  OF  EAGLES, 

By  J.   F.   PELLETIER,  Grand  Worthy   President,   Grand  Aerie. 
BERNARD   McGiNTY,    Chairman. 
MYER  FISHER, 
HENRY  NORRIS, 
JOHN  KENNEDY, 
M.  H.  MCMABB, 

Board  Grand  Worthy  Trustees. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  153 

Denver,  Colo.,  August  17,  1905. 
John  T.  Burns,  Secretary  Colorado  Board  of  Managers,  Portland,  Or.: 

To  Trans-Mississippi  Congress — Our  convention  in  Denver  this  week 
is  perfect  success;  weather  fine,  entertainment  bountiful.  We  are  enjoying 
ourselves  to  the  utmost.  Come  next  year  and  do  likewise. 

NATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  FIRE  INSURANCE  AGENTS, 

By  A.  H.  ROBINSON,  President. 

Denver,  Colo.,  July  22,  1905. 

Officers  and  Members  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  Port- 
land, Oregon: 

Gentlemen — I  desire  to  extend  a  cordial  invitation  to  your  body  to 
hold  your  next  annual  convention  in  Denver.  Denver  being  the  chief  city 
of  the  famous  Rocky  mountain  region,  and  situated  in  the  center  of  the 
richest  mining  district  in  the  world,  and  being  famed  for  her  climate  and 
hospitality,  your  convention  could  not  choose  a  better  city  for  your  next 
meeting  place.  The  city  administration  will  join  heartily  with  our  citizens 
in  making  your  stay  here  both  pleasant  and  profitable. 

Trusting  that  you   will   favorably  consider  this   invitation,   I   am, 
Very  truly  yours, 

R.   W.   SPEER,   Mayor. 

THE   DENVER   HOTEL   &   RESTAURANT   KEEPERS'    ASSOCIATION. 

Denver,    Colo.,   July   14,    1905. 

To   the   Trans-Mississippi   Commercial    Congress,   in   convention   assembled, 
Portland,   Oregon: 

Greeting — We  hereby  invite  you  to  hold  your  next  annual  convention 
in  our  beautiful  city  of  Denver. 

Our  local  associations  will  make  you  very  welcome  and  do  everything 
possible  to  entertain  you  should  you  select  Denver  as  your  next  meeting 
place. 

There  are  many  attractions  in  and  near  Denver  in  the  way  of  scenic 
excursions,  and  the  city  itself  is  an  ideal  place  for  summer  conventions,  hav- 
ing always  at  some  time  of  the  day  cool  breezes  from  the  mountains. 

Trusting  our  invitation  will  receive  favorable  consideration,  we  beg  to 
remain, 

Most  cordially  yours, 
THE  DENVER  HOTEL  &  RESTAURANT  KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION, 

S.  F.  DUTTON,  Secretary. 

Denver,  Colo.,  July  17,  1905. 

John  T.   Burns,   Secretary   Colorado   Board   of  Managers,   Mines   Building, 
Portland,  Oregon: 

The  state  of  Colorado  extends  to  Trans-Mississippi  Congress  most 
cordial  invitation  to  hold  its  convention  in  Denver  in  1906.  Our  state  is  a 
vital  part  of  the  great  west,  and  as  such  is  interested  in  all  your  problems. 

JESSE  F.  MCDONALD,  Governor. 

MR.  JOHN  T.  BURNS  (Colorado)  :  Mr.  Chairman  and  Ladies 
and  Gentlemen — I  want  to  say  a  word  for  Colorado.  First  of  all, 
we  ask  you  to  recognize  your  duty.  This  Congress  has  a  work  to 
perform,  a  grand  work,  one  that  cannot  be  put  aside  for  pleasure 
at  any  time.  We  of  Colorado  realize  that.  After  considering  the 


154  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

matter  from  the  standpoint  of  duty,  some  other  city  may  want  this 
Congress,  and  Colorado  does  not  wish  to  stand  in  the  way  of  the 
success  of  any  contestant  for  honors  in  this  convention,  provided 
they  need  you  more  than  we  do.  Colorado,  the  colored  land  of  this 
continent,  the  most  beautiful  place,  the  place  where  God  has  given 
us  more  favors,  we  think,  than  in  any  other  spot  in  this  world ;  the 
Switezrland  of  America,  where  when  you  retire  from  your  day's 
labor  you  find  the  cool  breezes  from  the  mountains  coming  upon 
you.  You  can  escape  from  the  heat  of  mid-day  into  the  mountains 
in  a  few  moments  by  tram  or  railway.  We  have  no  boat  trips  to 
offer  you,  but  we  have  grand  scenery  and  grand  people.  I  believe 
we  need  you  in  Colorado;  and  furthermore,  Denver  is  now  the 
greatest  convention  city  in  the  United  States,  as  witness  the  evi- 
dence of  those  who  have  been  there  this  summer  and  last  summer, 
thousands  at  various  conventions.  Our  people  are  warm-hearted 
and  will  welcome  you,  and  I  say  to  you  of  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress,  that  no  matter  where  you  may  go,  we  shall 
always  feel  that  you  would  have  had  a  better  time  if  you  had  come 
to  Denver ;  or  if  you  prefer,  as  we  are  not  selfish  in  Denver,  we  will 
say  Colorado  Springs,  a  beautiful  resort  you  all  know  of,  under 
the  shadow  of  Pike's  Peak.  Come  to  Colorado  at  any  rate,  if  you 
think  you  haven't  a  duty  to  perform  somewhere  else.  (Applause.) 

On  the  call  of  Missouri  Governor  Crittenden  was  recognized  by 
the  chair. 

GOVERNOR  CRITTENDEN  (Missouri)  :  Mr.  President — It  seems 
as  if  I  were  the  whole  state  of  Missouri  this  morning,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  General  Noble,  but  when  I  have  him  at  my  back,  I  feel 
that  I  am  amply  supported.  I  rise  in  the  interest  of  Kansas  City. 
It  is  useless  for  me  to  say  to  you,  Mr.  President,  or  to  any  one  of 
this  audience,  where  is  Kansas  City,  or  what  is  Kansas  City.  If 
you  will  come  there,  we  will  give  you  a  convention  that  will  be 
worthy  of  such  a  body  as  this.  We  have  no  boats,  but  we  will  give 
you  one  of  the  most  generous  invitations  that  you'  ever  had;  we 
will  give  you  one  of  the  most  generous  hospitalities  you  ever  had  in 
your  life;  we  will  scatter  roses — which  we  have  seen  growing  here 
in  Portland  only  in  yards — we  will  scatter  roses  on  every  plate  of 
every  delegate  at  every  meal.  (Applause.)  We  will  give  you  one 
of  the  most  generous  dinners  or  suppers  that  you  have  ever  had  in 
your  lives.  We  never  do  things  there  in  a  half  way.  If  the  re- 
mainder of  the  delegation  from  Kansas  City  was  here,  I  think  they 
would  endorse  everything  I  have  said.  Gentlemen,  I  voted  for  the 
admission  of  Colorado  into  the  Union;  I  think  it  owes  that  much 
to  us,  possibly  that  much  to  me,  that  much  to  the  state  of  Missouri, 
that  it  should  withdraw  in  favor  of  Kansas  City.  I  am  for  Denver 
at  all  times,  at  all  seasons,  and  for  all  things,  with  the  exception  of 
having  this  Congress  meet  there  this  next  year.  It  is  a  good  city, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  155 

but  it  is  hardly  equal  to  the  occasion  of  such  a  Congress  as  this. 
We  are  getting  to  be  a  potential  body;  our  voice  will  be  heard  not 
only  throughout  the  whole  Union,  but  it  will  be  heard  in  congress, 
generally  the  deafest  body  in  the  United  States.  (Laughter  and 
applause.)  I  move,  Mr.  President,  that  this  convention  be  held  in 
Kansas  City.  It  is  the  largest  railroad  center  in  the  United  States, 
with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  places,  and  its  commercial  interests 
ramify  every  part  of  this  country ;  and  if  we  were  lacking  in  strength 
at  all,  when  we  consider  St.  Louis,  we  have  Kansas  at  our  back, 
which  is  always  a  power  throughout  the  whole  country.  When  you 
have  been  with  us,  you  will  say  it  is  the  best  place  in  the  United 
States.  Besides  all  that,  we  have  a  convention  hall  superior  to  any- 
thing in  the  United  States  that  I  have  ever  seen.  When  you  will 
have  been  with  us  once  you  will  say,  "Give  us  Kansas  City  forever," 
especially  when  you  have  Governor  Francis  as  president  of  the  Con- 
gress. (Applause.) 

SENATOR  DEITRICH  (Nebraska)  :  Nebraska  rises  to  second  the 
nomination  of  Kansas  City. 

E.  L.  WILLIAMS  (Wyoming)  :  I  rise  to  second  the  nomination 
of  Denver. 

When  North  Dakota  was  reached,  Secretary  Francis  read  the 
following  letter: 

GOVERNOR'S   OFFICE,   NORTH    DAKOTA. 

Bismarck,  August  9,  1905. 
General  E.  A.  Williams,   Bismarck,   North   Dakota: 

Dear  Sir — As  a  delegate  to  the  sixteenth  annual  Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress,  I  would  suggest  that  you  extend  to  that  body  an  in- 
vitation to  hold  its  next  annual  session  at  Bismarck,  the  capital  of  the  state 
of  North  Dakota.  The  state  of  North  Dakota,  as  you  know,  is  deeply  in- 
terested and  vitally  concerned  in  all  that  affects  or  will  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  Trans-Mississippi  states.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  producers  of  wealth 
of  the  entire  sisterhood  of  agricultural  states,  and  agriculture  is,  after  all, 
the  broadest  basis  of  our  national  prosperity.  One  of  the  youngest  of  the 
states,  it  has  advanced  since  statehood  with  giant  strides,  and  at  no  time 
have  its  creators  had  reason  to  feel  aught  but  pride  in  their  work.  Its 
people  are  as  cordial  and  hospitable  as  its  fields  are  broad  and  fertile,  and 
they  extend  an  invitation  to  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress 
from  the  heart  of  this  hospitality.  Kindly  present  this  invitation  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  congress. 

Very  truly  yours, 

E.  Y.  SARLES,  Governor  of  North  Dakota. 

GENERAL  WILLIAMS  (North  Dakota)  :  Mr.  Chairman — Gov- 
ernor Sarles,  of  North  Dakota,  directed  me  to  say  to  the  Congress 
that  if  it  should  conclude  that  Bismarck,  the  capital  of  the  state, 
was  a  proper  place  to  hold  the  Congress,  we  should  tender  Con- 
gress the  use  of  our  new  hall  of  the  house  of  representatives  in  our 


156  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

capitol,  which  is  a  commodious  and  fine  room,  and  that  in  every 
other  way  the  state  would  entertain  this  Congress  visiting  its  cap- 
ital, in  a  manner  not  to  be  surpassed  by  any  other  locality ;  but  since 
coming  here  I  find  that  this  Congress  is  sought  for  by  many  promi- 
nent places,  and  even  one  of  its  vice-presidents,  Mr.  Larimore,  dif- 
fers with  our  governor  and  thinks  the  Congress  ought  to  be  held  at 
Kansas  City.  We  have  therefore,  concluded  not  to  press  the  invi- 
tation at  this  time,  but  at  some  future  Congress  we  will,  and  now 
second  the  nomination  of  Kansas  City.  (Applause.) 

MR.  REED  (Texas)  :  My  associate  delegates  are  mostly  law- 
yers, and  they  have  delegated  me,  a  business  man,  who  will  not 
talk  much,  to  rise  and  second  the  nomination  of  Kansas  City. 

MR.  EULET  (Salt  Lake)  spoke  briefly  in  behalf  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  inviting  the  Congress  to  hold  its  next  convention  there. 

MR.  HAUSE  (Washington)  seconded  the  nomination  of  Salt 
Lake  City. 

C.  F.  SAYLOR  (Iowa)  :  Mr.  Chairman — I  have  attended  most 
of  these  conventions  since  1897 ;  I  have  been  very  much  interested 
in  their  deliberations,  and  have  gained  a  great  deal  of  information. 
Coming  from  a  great  state  like  Iowa,  and  hearing  things  discussed 
that  are  of  particular  interest  to  my  own  state,  I  represent  a  state 
that  takes  the  lead  in  over  three-fourths  of  the  agricultural  products 
of  this  country.  We  discussed  at  these  conventions  deep  ports,  irri- 
gation, protection  of  our  ports,  and  things  of  that  kind ;  but  it  must 
be  well  known  to  delegates  of  this  convention  that  in  Iowa  and  the 
great  Mississippi  Valley  are  vast  interests,  and  competent  influences 
at  Washington  capable  of  carrying  out  the  deliberations  and  reso- 
lutions and  purposes  of  this  body.  I  came  here  ambitious  for  my 
own  state,  expecting  to  ask  this  convention  for  the  City  of  Des 
Moines,  hoping  thereby  to  get  our  own  people  and  the  people  of  this 
Congress  interested  in  the  great  questions  affecting  our  agricultural 
section,  stock-raising  interests,  etc.  After  consulting  with  my  fel- 
low delegates,  it  has  occurred  to  us  that  we  should  give  way  to  the 
better  claims  of  that  great  inland  central  commercial  and  manufac- 
turing center,  Kansas  City,  and  Iowa  wishes  to  second  the  nomina- 
tion of  Kansas  City.  (Applause.) 

The  call  of  states  being  completed,  the  Chair  asked  the  pleasure 
of  the  convention  as  to  the  method  of  taking  the  vote. 

MR.  BURNS  (Colorado)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  Colorado  has  been 
said  by  some  speaker  here  not  to  be  large  enough  for  this  convention. 
I  don't  know  whether  he  meant  that  exactly,  but  I  am  here  to  say 
that  there  is  nothing  too  large  for  Colorado  to  handle.  We  can 
handle  anything  that  comes  our  way  and  give  you  the  best  time  on 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  157 

earth.  Colorado  furnishes  the  sugar  beets  that  make  the  sugar  for 
Kansas  City.  We  send  whole  trainloads  of  luscious  melons  to  Kan- 
sas City;  we  grow  the  wheat,  or  much  of  it,  that  goes  to  Kansas 
City;  we  do  lots  of  things  that  make  us  dependent  on  Kansas  City 
as  a  market.  We  recognize  the  good  fellowship  that  is  necessary  in 
a  Congress  of  this  kind,  and  in  behalf  of  Colorado  I  wish  to  ask 
the  privilege  of  this  convention  of  withdrawing  the  nomination  of 
Denver,  and  moving  that  Kansas  City  be  named  the  place  for  hold- 
ing the  next  meeting. 

MR.  TAN  N  AH  ILL  (Idaho)  :  On  behalf  of  Idaho  and  other 
states  with  whom  I  have  discussed  this  matter,  and  as  Kansas  City 
was  my  former  town  near  which  I  lived,  and  knowing  that  Kansas 
City  possesses  all  the  conveniences  necessary  to  entertain  this  Con- 
gress, and  that  she  will  use  those  facilities  for  our  entertainment,  I 
also  take  great  pleasure  in  seconding  the  nomination  of  Kansas  City, 
and  hope  that  it  may  be  made  unanimous. 

MR.  CALLBREATH  (Colorado)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  want  to  cor- 
rect one  little  criticism  that  was  made  on  Colorado,  that  she  was  not 
big  enough  to  entertain  this  convention ;  and  I  want  to  say  in  that 
behalf  that  the  two  largest  conventions  that  met  in  the  United  States 
this  year,  met  in  Denver. 

Denver  received  more  large  conventions  perhaps,  than  any  other 
city  except  one  in  the  United  States  this  year.  Denver  is  primarily 
a  convention  city,  but  it  is  not  wise  that  conventions  should  always 
be  held  in  Denver,  and  while  I  want  to  say  for  the  people  of  Kansas 
City  that  we  don't  take  off  our  hats  to  her  to  take  prizes  at  St.  Louis, 
in  her  own  state,  even  in  agricultural  products,  while  we  pretend  to 
be  primarily  a  mineral  state ;  and  while  we  are  ready  to  say  that 
Denver  is  the  ideal  place  for  a  convention;  yet  we  feel  that  perhaps 
it  is  wise  that  this  convention  should  go  to  Kansas  City.  (Applause.) 

GOVERNOR  CRITTENDEN  (Missouri)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  if  any- 
thing I  have  said  has  wounded  the  feelings  of  Colorado  in  the  least, 
it  was  only  the  suggestion  of  a  father  to  the  child,  for,  as  I  stated, 
I  voted  for  the  admission  of  Colorado,  and  I  thought  we  always  had 
the  right  to  give  parental  advice  (laughter).  They  have  had  con- 
ventions enough  there  this  year;  they  are  too  big,  really,  for  a  con- 
vention of  this  kind,  and  therefore  I  suggested  Kansas  City  (laugh- 
ter). 

MR.  EULET  (of  Utah)  :  In  behalf  of  the  Utah  delegates,  I 
withdraw  the  name  of  Salt  Lake  City  in  favor  of  Kansas  City. 

MR.  FROST  (Kansas)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  am  a  practical  sort  of 
man,  and  as  it  has  been  the  custom  heretofore  for  the  places  which 
extend  the  invitation,  that  they  would  pay  the  expenses  of  the  Con- 
gress and  furnish  a  hall  and  room  for  committee  meetings,  and 


158  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

things  of  that  kind,  I  suggest  that  it  would  be  eminently  proper 
that  those  provisions  be  included  in  their  offers  now. 

MR.  CASE  (Kansas)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  wish  to  suggest  that 
that  would  be  unnecessary  in  my  judgment  to  ask  Kansas  City  to 
do.  She  always  does  her  part  and  does  it  well.  I  think  Governor 
Crittenden  will  endorse  that  proposition. 

GOVERNOR  CRITTENDEN  :  I  did  not  suppose  it  was  necessary 
for  Kansas  City  to  make  any  promises.  It  always  does  things 
right;  not  only  pays  the  expenses  of  the  convention  proper,  its 
clerks  and  things  of  that  kind ;  but  if  it  becomes  necessary,  we  will 
permit  the  delegates  to  draw  through  our  banks  to  get  money 
enough  to  get  home  on  (laughter  and  applause). 

The  question  being  repeatedly  called  for,  the  motion  that  the 
next  meeting  of  the  Congress  be  held  at  Kansas  City  was  put  to  a 
vote  and  unanimously  carried. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  Committee  on  Resolutions  is  now  ready 
to  report,  and  we  will  listen  to  the  chairman  of  that  committee. 

MR.  F.  W.  FLEMING,  Chairman  of  Committee  on  Resolutions: 
Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — In  presenting  the  report  of 
the  Committee  on  Resolutions,  I  wish  to  offer  a  word  or  two  by  way 
of  explanation.  The  members  of  the  committee  have  practically 
put  in  their  entire  time  since  their  arrival  in  Portland  and  their 
appointment  upon  this  committee,  in  the  performance  of  the  duties 
which  devolved  upon  them.  It  has  been  the  object  of  this  commit- 
tee, as  far  as  possible,  to  limit  the  scope  of  these  resolutions,  in  order 
that  they  would  be  handled  in  full  by  the  Associated  Press,  and 
other  news  associations,  and  given  the  widest  publicity.  There  have 
been  a  great  many  resolutions  offered  and  considered  by  the  com- 
mittee, and  in  its  final  draft  of  the  report  we  have  grouped  the 
various  recommendations  under  the  several  subheads,  and  have  tried 
to  embody,  as  far  as  possible,  consistent  with  the  purpose  I  have 
stated,  the  general  sentiment  of  all  of  the  resolutions  into  a  harmo- 
nious whole.  The  text  of  the  report  is  as  follows : 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  RESOLUTIONS. 

To   the    Trans-Mississippi   Commercial   Congress: 

Your  Committee  on  Resolutions,  having  fully  and  carefully  considered 
all  resolutions  referred  to  it,  respectfully  submit  the  following  report: 

Be  it  Resolved,  by  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  com- 
posed of  representatives  from  the  several  states  and  territories  between  the 
Mississippi  river  and  the  Pacific  coast,  at  its  sixteenth  annual  session,  as- 
sembled in  the  city  of  Portland,  Oregon,  as  follows: 

RIVERS     AND     HARBORS. 

We  earnestly  recommend  liberal  appropriations  under  continuing  con- 
tracts by  the  federal  government  for  the  improvement  of  the  harbors  on  the 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  159 

Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Pacific  coast.  The  largely  increasing  trade  with 
Central  and  South  America  and  the  Orient  renders  a  more  liberal  policy 
towards  these  ports  on  the  part  of  the  national  government  imperatively 
necessary. 

The  deep  draft  of  the  vessels  in  which  the  commerce  of  the  world  is 
now  most  economically  carried  makes  it  important  that  the  Galveston  harbor 
should  have  a  uniform  depth  of  not  less  than  35  feet  of  water  at  mean  low 
tide,  with  a  width  and  extension  commensurate  with  its  growing  importance. 
The  same  recommendation  is  made  with  reference  to  the  improvement  of 
the  harbors  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

The  jetty  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river  ought  to  be  completed 
according  to  the  plans  of  the  government  engineers  in  order  that  the  products 
of  the  northwestern  country  may  find  a  convenient  highway  to  the  markets 
of  the  world. 

In  harmony  with  past  declarations  of  this  body,  we  declare  that  it  is 
the  plain  duty  of  the  national  government  to  take  hold  of  the  important 
question  of  river  improvement  and  flood  control  in  an  earnest  and  broad- 
gauge  manner.  The  cost  of  necessary  improvements  to  prevent  the  con- 
tinued interruption  on  interstate  commerce  and  an  appalling  loss  of  life  and 
property  should  be  met  by  the  national  government  and  the  localities  af- 
fected upon  an  equitable  basis.  The  permanent  improvement  of  the  great 
Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers  and  their  navigable  tributaries  ought  to  be 
an  object  of  national  concern.  The  conditions  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Kansas  City  and  East  St.  Louis,  where  commercial  and  transportation  in- 
terests of  the  greatest  magnitude  are  frequently  menaced  by  devastating 
river  floods,  emphasizes  the  national  importance  of  this  question. 

We  earnestly  favor  a  liberal  policy  on  the  part  of  congress  in  appro- 
priating money  for  the  permanent  improvement  of  the  navigable  waterways 
of  the  country,  thereby  decreasing  the  cost  of  transportation  on  the  products 
of  the  farm,  ranch  and  factory,  and  increasing  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  nation. 

COAST   FORTIFICATIONS. 

We  recommend  that  an  additional  naval  station  be  immediately  con- 
structed on  the  Pacific  coast  at  some  point  near  the  Mexican  border  to  be 
selected  by  the  navy  department. 

We  desire  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  national  government  to  the 
defenseless  condition  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and  urge  that  congress  make  the 
necessary  appropriation  to  carry  out  the  plans  of  the  war  department  for 
adequate  coast  fortifications. 

We  favor  the  protection  of  the  sea  wall  built  by  the  national  government 
for  the  protection  of  its  property  at  the  port  of  Galveston  in  accordance 
with  the  plans  of  the  United  States  engineers. 

DEPARTMENT   OF    MINES    AND    MINING. 

The  mining  industry  of  the  United  States  having  grown  to  such  pro- 
portions and  importance  and  being  capable  of  such  vast  development  if 
properly  fostered  by  the  government,  we  heartily  favor  the  establishment  by 
an  act  of  congress  of  a  national  department  of  mines  and  mining. 

STATEHOOD    FOR    THE    TERRITORIES. 

The  fundamenal  principle  of  the  American  republic  is  that  of  self- 
government,  and  no  body  of  American  citizens  should  be  deprived  of  that 
right.  We  therefore  recommend  the  early  admission  of  all  of  the  remain- 
ing territories  as  states,  and  the  establishment  of  a  territorial  form  of  gov- 
ernment for  Alaska. 


160  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


MERCHANT    MARINE. 

We  unqualifiedly  favor  the  progressive  national  policy  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  of  fostering  and  building  up  an  American  merchant 
marine  by  every  available  means,  and  respectfully  urge  upon  the  consid- 
eration of  congress,  the  national  importance  of  this  question  in  the  de- 
velopment of  our  foreign  trade. 

FOREST   RESERVES. 

We  indorse  and  approve  the  maintenance  of  forest  reserves  under  just 
and  reasonable  conditions.  We,  however,  urge  that  the  utmost  caution  be 
exercised  in  the  extension  of  the  present  reserves  and  that  no  further  ex- 
tensions be  made  without  due  regard  to  the  conditions  and  rights  of  the 
communities  affected  or  to  the  location  of  homesteads  on  any  tracts,  large 
or  small,  which  are  capable  of  cultivation,  and  we  further  urge  the  repeal 
of  all  laws  and  orders  of  the  interior  department  limiting  the  use  or  sale 
of  the  timber  products  to  the  state  or  territory  in  which  the  same  may  be  cut. 

IRRIGATION. 

This  Congress  desires  to  express  its  high  appreciation  of  the  national 
irrigation  law,  and  hails  with  pleasure  the  opportunities  afforded  under  its 
beneficent  provisions  for  the  American  citizen  to  own  his  own  home,  and 
we  express  the  hope  that  the  several  governmental  enterprises  now  under 
contemplation,  as  well  as  under  construction,  be  pushed  to  a  speedy  and 
successful  completion. 

We  declare  that  the  use  of  the  river  waters  of  the  trans-Mississippi 
states  is  of  vastly  greater  importance  when  applied  to  irrigation  than  to 
navigation,  and  hence,  when  the  demands  of  irrigation  require  such  a  vol- 
ume of  water  of  any  navigable  stream  as  to  render  it  less  navigable,  such 
conditions  should  not  be  permitted  to  interfere  in  any  manner  with  the 
prosecution  and  operation  of  any  irrigation  works. 

In  the  construction  of  river  improvements  to  aid  navigation  or  for  the 
control  of  flood  waters,  we  recommend  that  special  investigation  be  given 
to  the  practicability  of  the  construction  of  large  storage  reservoirs  so  as  to 
store  the  waters  during  the  flood  season  and  thus  minimize  the  danger  of 
flood  ravages  in  the  lower  portions  of  such  river  valleys. 

INTERSTATE    COMMERCE. 

We  insist  upon  the  rigid  enforcement  of  existing  laws  as  the  proper 
remedy  for  the  unmixed  evil  of  rebates,  discrimination  in  freight  and  ex- 
press rates  and  special  privileges  to  private  car  lines  by  railway  companies. 

GOOD   ROADS. 

We  recommend  to  the  several  states  and  territories  the  adoption  of 
such  legislation  as  will  place  the  subject  of  permanent  public  road  improve- 
ment under  an  intelligent  and  uniform  state  and  county  supervision. 

CONSULAR    SERVICE. 

We  again  earnestly  urge  such  a  thorough  organization  of  our  consular 
service  as  to  secure  the  most  efficient  service  to  our  business  interests;  and 
we  believe  that  this  can  be  best  accomplished  by  basing  appointments  upon 
experience,  ability  and  character,  unbiased  by  any  political  consideration,  thus 
insuring  that  efficiency  which  is  only  attained  by  extended  experience. 

PAN-AMERICAN   TRADE. 

We  indorse  the  proposed  Pan-American  Trade  College,  or  College  of 
Commerce  upon  the  Gulf  coast  of  Texas,  in  which  the  trade  usages,  cus- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  161 

toms  and  language  of  the  Central  and  South  American  republics  shall  be  ex- 
emplified and  aught,  as  a  project  worthy  of  the  favorable  consideration  of 
the  congress  of  the  United  States. 

We  approve  of  the  calling  of  a  national  waterways  convention  to  meet 
in  Washington  in  the  early  part  of  1906,  and  recommend  to  the  members  of 
this  body  that  they  take  the  necessary  steps  to  secure  a  representation 
therein  from  their  respective  states  and  territories. 

We  wish  to  record  our  indorsement  of  the  Western  Immigration  Con- 
gress as  proposed  by  the  State  Commercial  Association  of  Colorado. 

In  view  of  their  rapidly  increasing  export  trade,  we  strongly  urge  that 
San  Diego  and  San  Pedro,  Cal.,  be  made  ports  of  entry. 
Respectfully   submitted, 

FRED    W.    FLEMING,    Chairman. 
E.  A.  HAWKINS,  JR.,  Secretary. 

Mr.  Chairman,  we  have  an  additional  resolution  on  immigra- 
tion which  will  be  submitted  in  the  form  of  a  supplementary  report. 
I  move  that  this  report  which  I  have  just  given  be  adopted  as  read. 
The  motion  was  seconded. 

MR.  KEATON  (Oklahoma)  :  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen  of 
the  Congress — Having  arrived  only  today,  I  little  expected  to  par- 
ticipate in  any  discussion  of  any  matter  coming  before  the  Congress ; 
and  especially  did  I  little  expect  that  I  would  be  called  upon  to  offer 
an  amendment  to  the  report  of  the  committee  on  resolutions.  As  I 
understand  the  reading  of  that  report  with  reference  to  the  question 
of  statehood  for  the  territories,  it  recommends  that  each  territory 
be  given  immediate  separate  statehood.  Now,  Mr.  Chairman  and 
gentlemen,  within  the  last  three  or  four  years,  in  the  territory  of 
Oklahoma  and  Indian  Territory,  we  have  had  mammoth  statehood 
conventions  and  declared  for  single  statehood  for  those  two  terri- 
tories. Congress  has  already  drafted  one  or  two  bills  embodying 
that  proposition.  So  far  as  the  other  two  territories  are  concerned, 
the  people  of  Oklahoma  have  nothing  to  say ;  we  want  them  to  have 
statehood  as  they  desire  it ;  but  on  behalf  of  the  people  of  Oklahoma 
and  Indian  Territory,  I  wish  to  move  an  amendment  to  the  effect 
that  this  Congress  recommend  their  admission  as  a  single  state. 

THE  CHAIR  :  The  question  before  the  Congress  is  the  adoption 
of  the  whole  report 'as  read.  I  understand  the  gentleman  objects 
to  that  provision. 

MR.  KEATON  :  To  that  particular  provision.  As  I  understand, 
this  is  the  proper  time  to  move  to  amend  any  part  of  the  report.  I 
would  like  to  have  that  part  of  the  report  on  statehood  read  again. 
I  do  not  know  whether  Oklahoma  had  a  representative  on  that  com- 
mittee, but  I  do  not  see  any  one  here  this  morning  who  was  there. 

MR.  FLEMING,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions :  Mr. 
Chairman,  for  the  information  of  the  gentlemen  from  Oklahoma 
and  the  other  members  of  the  Congress  who  are  interested  in  this 


162  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

matter,  I  would  like  to  state  that  the  gentleman  is  in  error  in  his 
understanding  of  the  reading  of  this  part  of  the  resolution.  It  does 
not  declare  for  immediate  statehood,  but  it  does  express  the  senti- 
ment of  this  body  as  in  favor  of  statehood  for  all  the  remaining  terri- 
tories. In  order  to  avoid  a  possible  controversy  over  the  method  and 
time  of  the  admission  of  those  territories,  the  committee,  after  full 
consideration  of  the  question,  decided  to  put  it  in  this  form,  leaving 
to  the  congress  of  the  United  States  the  decision  of  the  matter  as 
to  how  that  act  of  admission  should  be  drawn. 

MR.  KEATON  :     I  think  the  resolution  says  "separate  statehood." 

MR.  FLEMING:  I  will  read  that  portion  of  the  report  again 
(reads  the  report  on  statehood). 

MR.  KEATON  :  If  I  understand  that  language  correctly,  it 
means  that  each  one  should  be  admitted  as  a  separate  state. 

MR.  FLEMING:  We  did  not  wish  to  take  up  the  space  of  this 
report  by  making  an  explanation  that  would  be  satisfactory  to  the 
territory  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  Oklahoma  and  Indian  Terri- 
tory, but  made  a  general  declaration  which  we  thought  would  voice 
the  sentiments  of  this  body  in  favor  of  their  admission. 

GOVERNOR  CRITTENDEN  :  If  that  was  the  idea  of  the  committee, 
why  would  it  not  be  well  to  strike  out  the  words  "separate  states"  ? 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  Will  the  gentleman  allow  me  to  make  a 
suggestion?  They  call  me  the  father  of  Oklahoma,  and  I  know 
that  it  is  a  fact,  as  the  gentleman  states,  that  the  majority — I  speak 
without  invidious  distinction  as  to  the  people  in  Indian  Territory,  of 
whom  a  few  want  to  remain  as  they  are  and  have  a  separate  state — 
that  of  a  million  and  a  half  of  people  in  those  two  territories,  a  million 
are  in  Oklahoma  proper,  and  they  are  in  favor  of  single  statehood 
for  the  two  territories.  They  want  a  broad  base  of  that  whole  do- 
main, in  order  that  the  state  when  granted,  as  it  will  be,  may  be- 
come one  of  the  great  states  of  this  Union,  that  it  may  be  strong  and 
firm  in  the  resources  it  will  command.  That  people  is  very  much 
in  earnest.  I  was  there  recently.  They  have  had  a  convention  at 
Oklahoma  City,  recommending  single  statehood.  The  resolution 
as  interpreted  by  the  chairman,  and  as  it  may  be  read,  I  think,  with 
the  explanation,  I  say  to  the  gentleman  of  Oklahoma,  with  that  ex- 
planation upon  the  record,  and  if  that  is  what  it  means,  that  we  are 
in  favor  of  all  territories  being  admitted  as  states,  and  does  not  mean 
each  territory  separately,  but  as  many  of  them  as  choose  to  come 
together,  to  come  in  as  one  state  if  they  choose,  and  therefore  if  In- 
dian Territory  and  Oklahoma  choose  to  apply  to  come  in  as  one 
state,  that  is  within  the -meaning  of  the  resolution.  With  that  un- 
derstanding I  see  no  particular  purpose  of  making  an  amendment. 
I  say  to  the  gentleman  from  Oklahoma  and  to  the  people  from  my 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  163 

state  (Missouri),  that  this  is  the  sense  and  that  is  the  interpretation 
of  that  resolution,  and  I  do  not  see  that  it  contradicts  it  directly, 
and  it  can  therefore  be  passed  without  change. 

MR.  BLACK  (Washington)  :  As  a  member  of  the  Committee 
on  Resolutions,  I  think  I  can  offer  an  explanation.  When  this  par- 
ticular recommendation  was  being  considered,  a  gentleman  from 
Arizona  rose  and  said  that  he  wanted  that  separate  statehood  clause 
inserted,  that  the  people  of  Arizona  were  afraid  that  they  were  going 
to  be  merged  with  New  Mexico,  and  they  preferred  to  remain  in 
their  territorial  condition,  rather  than  to  have  statehood  with  New 
Mexico.  It  was  in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  that  gentleman  that 
the  word  "separate"  was  inserted. 

MR.  KEATON  :  With  the  explanation  of  the  gentleman  from 
Washington  in  reference  to  Arizona,  Mr.  Chairman,  the  force  of  my 
objection  becomes  apparent.  That  simply  complicates  the  question 
in  our  territory.  There  are  a  few  instances,  very  much  in  the  mi- 
nority, of  those  who  have  been  making  the  fight  for  separate  state- 
hood of  those  two  territories.  That  has  delayed  our  statehood  in 
the  opinion  of  the  majority  of  the  people  for  years.  It  was  once  all 
one  territory — old  Indian  Territory.  Therefore  I  cannot  quite  see 
my  way  clear  as  a  citizen  of  that  territory,  and  having  been  a  dele- 
gate to  the  last  statehood  convention,  and  to  all  the  others  for  that 
matter,  to  permit  that  statement  to  go  in  the  resolution  unchallenged. 
I  do  not  see  why  it  would  not  be  just  as  well  to  say  that  we  favor 
the  admission  of  all  the  territories  and  say  nothing  about  separate 
or  double  or  treble  statehood.  There  cannot  be  any  other  construc- 
tion put  upon  it  than  that  it  means  each  territory  to  be  admitted  as 
a  separate  state.  Now,  I  move  to  strike  out  the  word  "separate," 
and  let  the  general  declaration  go  in. 

GENERAL  NOBLE:  I  second  that  motion,  since  I  have  heard 
the  statement  in  regard  to  the  contention  from  Arizona  on  the  com- 
mittee. It  is  evident  that  Arizona  got  that  word  put  in  there  for 
the  purpose  of  aiding  it  to  become  a  separate  state. 

THE  CHAIR:  You  have  heard  the  question,  which  is  that  the 
word  "separate"  be  stricken  out.  Are  you  ready  for  the  question? 

MR.  WALLACE  (North  Dakota)  :  Pardon  me,  Mr.  Chairman; 
can  a  declaration  be  made  for  the  admission  of  each  of  these  terri- 
tories in  this  Union?  I  remember  well  when  little  Ben  Harrison 
reached  up  from  the  chair  to  Old  Glory  and  nailed  four  stars  to 
that  flag.  At  that  time  the  same  sentiment  prevailed  in  this  coun- 
try, that  we  lacked  the  population  and  the  wealth  and  the  education : 
but  those  four  states,  .Washington,  Montana,  North  Dakota  and 
South  Dakota,  are  in  the  Union  to  stay,  an  ornament  to  Old  Glory. 
(Applause.)  Are  we  now,  at  this  late  day,  after  so  many  prece- 


164  REPORT   OF   PROCEEDINGS 

dents,  going  to  stand  on  the  question  of  the  qualifications  for  ad- 
mission to  this  Union  of  those  people  in  the  southwest?  They  have 
long  sought  to  get  into  the  Union.  What  will  we  say  to  them? 
Will  we  jumble  words  and  mix  them  into  a  pie,  until  you  can't  tell 
whether  it  is  mince,  pumpkin,  or  squash?  No;  let  New  Mexico  in; 
stop  your  exclusion  act.  I  hear  much  talk  about  the  exclusion  act, 
exclusion  from  the  outside;  but  here  is  a  case  of  over  thirty  years 
of  infamous  exclusion  of  our  own  American  people.  (Great  ap- 
plause.) I  say,  "Oklahoma,  welcome  to  this  Union."  I  say  to 
Indian  Territory,  equipped  as  it  is,  "Welcome  to  this  Union,"  but 
give  it  a  glorious  name.  I  say  to  Arizona,  hidden  in  whose  hills  is 
gold,  silver  and  copper,  and  upon  whose  irrigated  arid  plains  may 
flourish  an  ample  population,  "Welcome  into  the  Union."  (Ap- 
plause.) And  I,  although  over  three-score  years  and  ten,  with  my 
eyes  to  the  northward  see  Alaska  coming,  and  I  would  to  God  today 
I  had  a  vote  to  say  to  her,  "Come  in."  I  have  seen  this  Union  grow 
from  fifteen  millions  to  eighty  millions;  I  have  seen  all  administra- 
tions from  Andrew  Jackson  down  to  date ;  I  have  seen  your  popu- 
lation double  twice  and  a  half;  in  1860,  30,000,000 ;  in  1890,  64,000,- 
000;  in  1905,  85,000,000,  doubling  every  thirty  years.  The  young 
men  in  this  house  today  will  see  on  this  Pacific  coast,  from  Alaska 
to  the  southern  line  of  California,  fifteen  millions  of  industrious  peo- 
ple. I  appeal  to  you  not  to  be  narrow.  I  appeal  to  you  to  let  them 
all  in.  (Applause.) 

GENERAL  NOBLE  :  I  regret  there  is  any  debate  upon  a  matter  of 
this  kind.  The  gentlemen  does  not  excel  myself,  nor  do  I  imagine 
he  excels  any  other  good  American  here,  in  the  pride  we  take  in 
these  states — of  which  there  were  five,  not  four — which  were  ad- 
mitted under  General  Harrison — North  Dakota,  South  Dakota, 
Idaho,  Wyoming  and  Washington.  It  is  the  pride  of  my  little  of- 
ficial career  that  it  fell  to  me  in  my  department  to  have  some  official 
connection  with  the  measure  that  brought  them  in ;  and  the  great 
pleasure  of  my  life  has  been  to  go  through  these  buildings  and  re- 
ceive from  their  representatives  the  slight  recognition  of  a  good 
handshake  for  the  part  I  did.  We  are  all  proud  of  New  Mexico, 
Arizona,  Oklahoma,  Indian  Territory  and  Alaska;  but,  gentlemen, 
let  us  not  throw  the  influence  of  this  convention  unnecessarily  against 
the  vital  interests  and  earnest  wishes  of  a  million  of  our  fellow- 
citizens.  (Applause.)  The  people  of  Oklahoma  are  as  good  Amer- 
icans as  ever  stood  on  this  continent ;  they  have  the  lowest  percent- 
age of  illiteracy,  and  there  are  more  American  people  to  the  number 
of  inhabitants  in  Oklahoma  than  in  any  other  state;  and  the  good 
men  and  women  who  went  in  there  with  their  teams  and  wagons, 
in  part  comprised  of  oxen,  on  the  22d  of  April,  1899,  went  for  the 
purpose  of  making  their  homes  there ;  and  between  the  noonday  sun 
and  the  setting  thereof,  over  30,000  homesteads  were  taken,  and 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  165 

the  plow  was  running,  so  that  you  could  see  the  work  of  the  plow 
along  the  hills  after  the  sun  went  down.  Those  are  the  people, 
true  Americans,  home-bred,  transplanted  from  other  states,  that 
have  made  Oklahoma.  They  are  not  foreign,  not  illiterate,  and  they 
want  one  state  of  that  great  Indian  country,  and  Oklahoma,  big 
enough  to  contend  with  the  states  around  her,  Texas,  Arkansas, 
Missouri,  Kansas  and  the  others.  Indian  Territory  is  not  like 
Arizona;  it  is  not  like  New  Mexico;  it  is  filled  up  with  men  who 
are  just  now  taking  their  homesteads ;  290,000  Indians  and  300,000 
white  men  who  have  gone  in  there,  and  are  now  not  able  to  take 
anything  but  town  lots  in  towns.  Let  us  not  pass  that  resolution 
and  say  that  they  shall  come  in  as  separate  states;  it  would  be 
wrong;  it  is  not  necessary  to  be  said  in  order  for  New  Mexico  or 
Arizona  to  come  in  as  separate  states.  Let  us  say  simply  that  these 
territories  are,  in  our  judgment,  entitled  upon  application  to  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union  on  an  equality  with  all  the  states,  and  let  us 
stop  at  that.  (Applause.)  I  speak  not  from  any  personal  interest, 
but  from  my  knowledge  of  the  people  of  Oklahoma,  and  of  the  In- 
dian country,  and  I  hope  therefore  that  you  will  allow  us  to  strike 
out  the  word  "separate,"  since  the  gentleman  has  confessed  that 
Arizona  wanted  it  put  in  there  for  a  purpose,  and  that  it  means  sep- 
arate statehood.  Strike  out  the  word  "separate,"  so  that  it  shall  read 
that  they  may  be  admitted  as  states.  If  you  do  not  do  it  you  will, 
in  view  of  this  argument,  put  your  seal  upon  bringing  in  the  Indian 
country  and  Oklahoma  Territory  as  separate  states. 

The  question  was  repeatedly  called  for. 

THE  CHAIR  asked  the  gentleman  from  Oklahoma  to  state  again 
what  his  motion  was. 

MR.  KEATON  (Oklahoma)  :  My  motion  is  to  strike  out  the 
word  "separately"  or  "separate." 

MR.  FLEMING:  By  way  of  explanation  I  would  like  to  state 
that  there  was  quite  a  difference  of  opinion  in  the  committee  about 
the  wording  of  this  resolution;  and  it  was  finally  determined,  after 
an  extended  discussion,  that  an  affirmative  declaration  in  favor  of 
early  statehood  for  the  territories  should  be  made.  Then  the  ques- 
tion came  up  about  whether  it  should  be  joint  or  separate,  and  in 
order  to  make  a  general  statement  which  would  not  be  offensive  to 
anybody  and  meet  with  the  views  of  all,  it  was  drawn  in  this  form. 
(Mr.  Fleming  then  reread  that  portion  of  the  resolution.) 

The  question  was  then  put  to  a  vote  on  the  motion  to  amend 
the  recommendation  of  the  committee  by  striking  out  the  word 
"separate,"  and  it  was  unanimously  carried. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  question  is  now  on  the  adoption  of  the 
report  of  the  committee. 


166  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

MR.  FRIEDLANDER  (California)  :  I  would  like  to  have  the  reso- 
lution about  the  appropriation  of  waters  from  navigable  streams  for 
irrigation  read  once  more. 

The  resolution  was  read. 

MR.  FRIEDLANDER  :  I  want  to  add  as  an  amendment  thereto  the 
following  words :  "When  an  adequate  supply  of  water  for  irrigation 
purposes  cannot  be  otherwise  obtained."  I  know  a  valley  in  our 
state  where  we  have  a  supply  of  water  for  irrigating  land,  water 
that  comes  down  from  the  slopes  of  the  Sierras,  which  can  be  stored 
and  distributed  on  the  land.  We  have  also  a  stream  there  which 
now  carries  a  large  commerce  during  even  the  low-water  period.  If 
this  resolution  should  become  effective  in  that  place,  it  would  en- 
able the  irrigators  to  drain  every  drop  of  water  out  of  that  stream. 
We  all  appreciate  what  irrigation  is,  and  what  it  means  to  us  in  the 
west,  but  commerce  is  something,  and  this  is  a  commercial  congress. 
When  we  have  a  river  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long  that  serves 
to  keep  down  railroad  rates  for  two  million  acres  of  productive  land, 
we  don't  want  to  see  it  closed  up. 

The  motion  to  amend  was  seconded. 

MR.  RAKER  (California)  :     I  move  the  previous  question. 
MR.  GOULD  (California)  :     I  object  to  that;  I  don't  think — 
THE  CHAIRMAN  :     All  in  favor  of  the  previous  motion  say  aye. 

MR.  HUNTER  (Iowa)  :  I  rise  to  a  point  of  order.  There  has 
been  no  second  to  the  previous  question. 

MR.  RAKER  :  I  come  from  California.  If  Mr.  Friedlander  has 
surrendered  the  floor — 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :     He  has  made  a  motion. 

MR.  GOULD  (California)  :  I  desire  to  object  to  the  amendment 
the  gentleman  has  offered.  I  come  from  San  Francisco.  I  have 
been  a  resident  of  the  interior  valleys  of  California,  and  I  prepared 
that  resolution — 

MR.  HUNTER  (Iowa)  :  I  rise  to  a  point  of  order.  I  under- 
stand the  gentleman's  motion  on  the  left,  was  not  seconded.  If  it 
was  not,  there  is  no  question  before  the  house. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  There  is  no  question  before  the  house.  All 
in  favor  of  the  adoption  of  the  report  say  aye.  The  ayes  have  it; 
the  report  is  adopted. 

MR.  FLEMING,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions: 
Mr.  Chairman,  on  behalf  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  I  de- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  167 

sire  to  submit  a  supplementary  report  on  the  subject  of  immigration, 
which  I  will  read. 

SUPPLEMENTARY  REPORT— IMMIGRATION  LAWS. 

Our  foreign  trade  with  China  is  at  present  suspended,  and  American 
vessels  are  anable  to  discharge  their  cargoes  at  Chinese  ports  and  Hong 
Kong  because  of  the  refusal  of  the  Chinese  to  handle  American  products. 
This  unsatisfactory  state  of  affairs  is  understood  to  have  been  produced  by 
the  improper  treatment  to  which  the  privileged  classes  of  China  have  been 
subjected  in  the  administration  of  our  laws  prohibiting  the  admission  of 
Chinese  laborers  to  the  United  States. 

There  are  now  seeking  admission  to  our  country  large  numbers  of 
persons  from  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa,  many  of  whom  are  undesirable  and 
cannot  be  admitted  without  endangering  the  high  standards  of  American 
citizenship;  therefore,  we  respectfully  petition  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to,  if  deemed  expedient,  reiterate  his  instructions  for  proper  treat- 
ment of  the  privileged  classes  of  China,  to  ascertain  through  the  proper 
channels  the  reasons  for  the  present  boycott,  and  to  appoint  a  commission 
to  investigate  and  report  to  congress,  with  recommendations  for  a  compre- 
hensive immigration  law  framed  to  remove  all  unreasonable  restrictions, 
but  to  exclude  from  the  United  States  and  our  insular  possessions  all  un- 
desirable persons  from  every  country. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

FRED  W.  FLEMING,  Chairman. 
E.  A.  HAWKINS,  JR.,  Secretary. 

Mr.  Chairman,  I  wish  to  add  one  word  in  explanation  of  this 
report.  This  whole  question  of  Chinese  coolie  labor  in  the  United 
States  is  one  about  which  the  representatives  in  this  body  from 
the  great  states  of  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  Iowa  are  not  very  familiar. 
It  is  a  question  about  which  the  people  of  the  Missouri  Valley  have 
heard  much  since  coming  here,  but  so  far  as  a  personal  knowledge 
goes,  our  people  have  never  been  brought  in  contact  with  it.  This 
resolution  was  prepared  by  a  sub-committee  composed  of  three 
members,  which  comprised  some  of  the  ablest  members  of  this  body, 
one  of  whom  it  was  understood  was  unqualifiedly  opposed  to  the 
admission  of  Chinese,  another,  a  man  who  entertained  more  mod- 
erate and  liberal  views  on  this  subject,  and  the  third  member  of  the 
sub-committee  was  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the 
State  of  Kansas.  This  resolution  represents  the  unanimous  opinion 
of  the  sub-committee,  and  also  the  judgment  of  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions,  and  in  order  to  get  the  matter  properly  before  this 
Congress,  I  moved,  that  the  supplemental  report  of  the  committee 
be  adopted. 

The  motion  was  seconded  by  a  number  of  delegates. 

MR.  LAGOMARSINO  (California)  :  Inasmuch  as  this  Congress 
is  strictly  a  commercial  congress,  and  inasmuch  as  the  president  of 
the  United  States  has  already  recalled  Mr.  Conger  from  Mexico  to 
go  to  China  and  investigate  the  boycott  of  American  goods ;  and  in- 
asmuch as  the  other  phase  of  that  question  is  strictly  social  and 


168  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

political,  I  would  move  that  the  question  is  not  germane  to  this 
Congress,  and  that  it  be  tabled.  The  president  of  the  United  States 
knows  his  duty  in  regard  to  the  admission  of  foreign  immigration. 
He  is  acting  upon  intelligent  knowledge,  and  for  that  reason  it  is 
not  germane  to  this  Congress  to  introduce  anything  in  the  nature 
of  politics  to  mislead  the  public,  and  thereby  seek  to  gain  the  admis- 
sion to  this  country  of  an  undesirable  immigration.  I  move  you, 
Mr.  Chairman,  that  inasmuch  as  it  is  not  germane,  since  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  has  already  considered  the  matter  and  it 
is  therefore  post  mortem  for  us  to  consider  it  again,  that  we  lay  it  on 
the  table. 

The  motion  was  seconded. 

A  DELEGATE  FROM  MISSOURI  :  Mr.  Chairman,  in  seconding 
the  motion  of  the  gentleman  from  California,  I  wish  to  say  but  a 
word. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :     The  gentleman  is  out  of  order. 

MR.  HARRIS  (Texas)  :  I  rise  to  a  point  of  order.  The  motion 
to  table  is  not  debatable,  but  some  member  of  the  Resolutions  Com- 
mittee is  entitled  to  be  heard,  and  therefore  I  ask  the  chairman  of 
the  committee  to  speak  in  behalf  of  that  question. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  That  would  not  be  fair,  because  the  chairman 
of  the  Resolutions  Committee  has  already  said  that  that  committee 
did  not  consider  this  subject,  but  appointed  a  sub-committee  of  three, 
and  that  committee  submitted  its  report  to  the  Resolutions  Com- 
mittee, which  report  has  simply  been  read.  Now,  for  them  to  se- 
lect some  one  to  present  this  question  is  not  treating  the  mover  of 
this  motion  square,  and  we  want  a  square  deal. 

MR.  HARRIS  (Texas)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  rise  to  speak  to  the 
point  of  order  which  I  myself  made.  I  desire  to  suggest  to  the  gen- 
tleman that  according  to  parliamentary  law,  on  a  motion  to  table, 
the  author  of  the  thing  sought  to  be  tabled,  or  the  committee  from 
which  it  was  reported,  always  designate  some  one  to  speak  in  behalf 
of  the  report  sought  to  be  tabled.  The  rules  always  say  each  side 
should  be  heard. 

MR.  YATES   (Missouri)  :     Mr.  Chairman — 
MR.  HARRIS  (Texas)  :     Mr.  Chairman — 
THE  CHAIRMAN  :     I  recognize  M)r.  Yates. 

MR.  HARRIS  (Texas)  :  And  he  speaks  for  the  committee,  does 
he?  I  think  the  gentleman  is  going  to  speak  against  the  committee, 
and  I  desire  to  speak  for  it,  if  nobody  else  has  the  courage  to  do  so. 
(Great  applause.) 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  169 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  I  will  recognize  Mr.  Harris  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Yates  yields  the  floor. 

MR.  HARRIS:  I  am  one  of  the  committee  in  charge  of  these 
resolutions,  one  of  the  committee  that  passed  upon  the  matter — 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  I  will  recognize  Mr.  Harris  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Yates  yields. 

MR.  HARRIS  :  I  do  not  desire  to  take  the  time  of  the  Congress, 
but  I  rise  to  the  point  of  order  against  the  statement  of  the  gentle- 
man from  California.  When  my  friend  Yates  is  through  I  desire 
recognition.  I  yield  now  to  Mr.  Yates. 

MR.  YATES  :  I  should  have  finished  my  remarks  long  ago  if  the 
gentleman  had  let  me  go  ahead.  I  believe  I  am  a  young  man  of 
fairly  good  understanding.  I  listened  while  this  resolution  was  be- 
ing read  to  see  if  I  could  determine  just  exactly  what  it  meant,  and 
I  give  you  my  word  as  a  Mjissourian  that  I  could  not  tell  to  save  my 
life.  (Laughter.)  It  reminded  me  of  what  the  old  darkey  down 
south  said  about  the  snake,  "that  it  began  wriggling  in  and  wrig- 
gling out,  and  left  the  matter  still  in  doubt,  as  to  whether  the  snake, 
that  made  the  track  was  gwine  down  or  comin'  back."  (Laughter.) 
Now,  it  does  seem  to  me,  with  all  deference  to  the  distinguished 
Committee  on  Resolutions,  my  very  good  friend  from  Kansas  City 
being  chairman,  that  we  have  already  adopted  enough  equivocal 
resolutions.  Let  us  not  put  any  more  in  the  record.  We  are  fool- 
ing with  dynamite.  You  are  handling  a  two-edged  sword,  and  the 
time  will  probably  come  in  the  history  of  this  Commercial  Congress, 
as  well  as  in  the  history  of  this  great  nation,  when  many  of  us  who 
have  voted  today  upon  one  side  or  the  other  of  this  resolution  will 
be  calling  upon  the  rocks  to  hide  us.  In  other  words,  the  sentiment 
of  this  country  is  not  at  present  crystallized  upon  this  great  and 
most  vital  question.  Let  us  take  time  to  think  about  it;  let  us  be 
sane  and  sensible.  Let  us  not  go  on  record  as  a  commercial  con- 
gress upon  this  political  question.  (Great  applause  and  cries  of 
"Good!  Good!") 

MR.  HARRIS  (Texas)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  this  would  be  a  strange 
committee  that  possessed  within  its  members  no  one  feeling  willing 
and  realizing  the  duty  of  defending  the  committee's  report.  As  a 
member  of  that  committee  I  made  no  opposition  against  the  motion 
to  strike  out  the  word  "separate"  in  the  resolution  on  statehood,  but, 
recognizing  the  validity  of  the  amendment,  voted  affirmatively  upon 
the  proposition ;  therefore,  I  trust  it  will  be  seen  that  I  do  not  stand 
with  the  committee  when  I  think  the  committee  has  made  a  clerical 
error.  However,  in  the  matter  of  the  resolution  now  before  you, 
the  Resolutions  Committee  as  a  body  unanimously  approved  the 
labors  of  the  sub-committee,  out  of  whose  fertile  brains  the  pending 


170  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

resolution  sprang.  I,  myself,  being  a  member  of  the  sub-committee 
of  five  appointed  by  the  chairman  to  draft  the  resolution  as  a  whole, 
made  the  suggestion  to  Chairman  Fleming,  of  Missouri,  that  we 
report  all  of  the  resolutions  as  one  report,  except  the  pending  reso- 
lution. I  suggested  that  that  be  brought  in  in  the  form  of  a  supple- 
mental report,  after  the  vote  upon  the  other  resolutions,  in  order  that 
it  might  be  met  fairly,  frankly  and  without  equivocation  upon  the 
part  either  of  the  friends  or  opponents  of  the  resolution.  I  have 
been  somewhat  surprised,  in  a  body  of  distinguished  men,  many  of 
whom  have  served  in  national  and  state  legislative  bodies,  others 
of  whom  are  known  throughout  their  states  and  sections  of  country 
as  leading  men  in  business,  social  and  commercial  life,  to  see  the 
disposition  not  only  to  stifle  debate  upon  the  question,  but  to  put  a 
motion  to  table  it  and  insist  upon  it.  (Great  applause.)  In  order 
that  I  may  quell  the  doubts  and  fears  that  exist  in  some  minds,  let 
me  say  that  I  represent  the  great  empire  of  Texas,  with  more  than 
3,000,000  of  American  citizens,  in  which  there  is  a  very  small  for- 
eign element;  that  I  individually,  and  the  state  I  represent,  are  ir- 
revocably opposed  to  the  importation  of  Chinese  coolies.  (Great 
applause.)  I  am  opposed  to  Chinese  coolie  immigration,  but  I 
stand  for  fairness  upon  the  resolution. 

JUDGE  RAKER  (California)  :  Will  the  gentleman  allow  me  to 
ask  him  a  question? 

MR.  HARRIS:  Yes,  I  yield  to  a  gentleman  at  any  time,  for  a 
question. 

JUDGE  RAKER  :  The  question  is,  why  was  this  resolution  so 
expressed  as  to  mean  nothing?  Why  was  it  not  put  in  this  resolu- 
tion that  we  are  now,  as  ever,  unalterably  opposed  to  Chinese  and 
coolie  immigration? 

MR.  HARRIS  :  In  answer  to  the  gentleman's  very  proper  ques- 
tion, I  will  state  that  it  was  not  put  in  because  it  was  not  the  senti- 
ment of  the  committee.  If  it  had  been  the  sentiment  of  the  com- 
mittee it  would  have  been  there.  Nor  was  it  the  sentiment  of  the 
Resolutions  Committee  that  any  resolution  upon  this  subject  should 
come  before  this  body  in  a  manner  which  should  make  a  cleavage  in 
the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress.  There  is  a  time  to 
fight  and  a  time  to  run,  and  a  time  to  compromise.  I  voted  for  the 
resolution,  although  I  am  opposed  to  coolie  labor,  because  I  thought 
the  pending  resolution  was  a  just  and  equitable  solution  of  the  mat- 
ter, so  far  as  this  Congress  is  or  can  be  concerned  therein,  within  its 
constitutional  by-laws.  The  gentleman  says  it  means  nothing;  I 
take  issue  with  him.  A  declaration  of  this  body  that  we  are  op- 
posed to  undesirable  and  unrestricted  immigration  from  Europe, 
Asia  and  Africa,  does  mean  something,  Mr.  Chairman.  (Applause.) 
It  means  putting  some  limit,  to  be  defined  hereafter,  against  a  stream 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL   CONGRESS.  171 

of  blood  which,  intermingling  with  the  dominant  race  of  this  nation, 
will  drag  down  the  standard  of  American  manhood  and  the  dignity 
of  American  labor.  (Great  applause.)  I  challenge  the  statement 
of  the  gentleman  at  large,  that  the  statement  brought  in  by  the  com- 
mittee means  nothing.  I  frankly  stated  in  the  Committee  on  Reso- 
lutions, and  was  so  quoted  in  one  of  the  papers,  that  I  could  vote 
for  that  resolution  with  the  same  affability,  the  same  calm,  benig- 
nant smile,  that  I  could  endorse  the  climate  of  Portland  and  the  great 
northwest,  or  declare  myself  in  favor  of  the  virtue  of  pure  woman- 
hood. (Applause.)  I  am  in  favor  of  this  resolution,  and  in  behalf 
of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions,  I  ask  you  to  vote  "no"  on  the 
motion  to  table  it.  (Applause.) 

JUDGE  RAKER:  I  want  to  read  just  one  provision  of  this,  to 
see  if  what  the  gentleman  from  Missouri  said  is  not  correct.  It  is 
nicely  worded,  but  worded  to  entrap — I  use  that  word  advisedly. 
Let  me  read  it.  (The  speaker  read  the  resolution  referred  to.) 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS:  The  gentleman  has  not  read  the  right 
resolution. 

.A-.- "  JUDGE  RAKER  :  I  was  reading  from  a  newspaper,  and  I  sup- 
posed it  was  the  same  as  the  one  reported  by  the  committee. 

MR.  FLEMING:  No;  the  part  you  refer  to  is  reported  by  the 
committee  as  follows:  (Mr.  Fleming  then  read  the  resolution  as 
reported.) 

JUDGE  RAKER:     Mr.  Chairman,  just  a  moment — 

The  speaker  was  interrupted  by  numerous  calls  for  the  question. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  Mr.  President,  the  very  object  of  moving  that 
this  be  laid  upon  the  table  is  to  avoid  the  very  question  the  gentle- 
man from  Texas  presents;  that  is,  that  we  avoid  that  question,  and 
as  was  said  by  the  mover,  the  very  thing  we  are  attempting  to  ac- 
complish has  been  accomplished  already ;  the  president  of  the  United 
States  has  given  his  instructions  to  the  various  consuls  and  officers 
who  have  control  of  the  immigration  laws,  and  he  has  also  recalled 
from  Mexico  Mr.  Conger,  who  has  had  ten  years'  experience  in 
China,  to  report  there  and  make  an  investigation  to  determine  the 
cause  of  the  boycott,  so  that  the  president  in  his  wisdom,  or  those 
in  power,  might  properly  pass  regulations  for  the  carrying  out  of 
the  laws,  not  to  make  new  laws,  but  to  enforce  the  laws  now  in  ex- 
istence. The  question  attempted  to  be  brought  before  this  body, 
which  is  a  Commercial  Congress,  is  a  political  or  a  social  question. 
It  is. whether  the  Chinese  or  the  Japanese  should  be  admitted  into 
the  United  States.  We  have  sufficient  law  on  that  question  now. 
So,  this  being  a  Commercial  Congress,  I  maintain  that  it  is  better 
that  we  should  not  take  up  the  political  side  of  this  question,  but  let 


172  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

us  be  fair  and  square  and  lay  it  on  the  table.  If  we  are  going  to 
bring  it  up,  let  us  bring  it  up  in  full  force,  so  that  the  people  of 
this  Congress  who  are  in  favor  of  admitting  the  Chinese  and  the 
undesirable  foreign  element  may  vote  in  favor  it,  and  those  of  us 
who  are  in  favor  of  excluding  them  may  have  an  opportunity  to 
say  that  we  are  in  favor  of  the  present  exclusion  laws,  and  in  favor 
of  making  them  more  stringent,  and  not  put  us  on  record,  as  it  is 
intended  by  this  resolution  to  do;  it  is  an  unfair  proposition.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

There  were  numerous  calls  for  the  question. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  All  in  favor  of  the  motion  to  table  the  reso- 
lution say  aye ;  those  opposed  say  no.  I  declare  that  the  noes  have  it. 

The  question  now  before  the  house  is  upon  the  adoption  of  the 
resolution.  All  in  favor  of  the  adoption  of  the  resolution — 

MR.  GOULD  (California)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  desire  to  move  an 
amendment  to  the  resolution  as  it  is  presented  by  the  sub-commit- 
tee. The  amendment  I  desire  to  offer  I  will  read. 

MR.  WALLACE  (North  Dakota)  :  I  would  like  to  ask  for  infor- 
mation. Isn't  it  too  late  for  amendments? 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :     No,  it  is  not  too  late  until  they  pass  on  it. 

MR.  GOULD  (California)  :  At  the  close  of  the  resolution,  strike 
ou  the  period  at  the  end  and  add  the  words  "providing  that  we  are 
unalterably  opposed  to  the  immigration  of  Mongolian  coolie  labor 
at  any  time  and  under  any  condition. 

MR.  THOMAS  GUINEAN  (Oregon)  :     I  second  that  motion. 

The  motion  to  amend  was  put  to  a  vote  and  the  chairman  an- 
nounced that  the  amendment  was  lost. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :     The  question  is  now  on  the  adoption — 
MR.  GOULD:     Mr.  Chairman!  Mr.  Chairman!  Mr.  Chairman  I 
THE  CHAIRMAN  :     On  the  adoption  of  the  original  resolution — 
MR.  GOULD:     Mr.  Chairman! — 

THE  CHAIRMANS — as  offered  by  the  committee.  Are  you  ready 
for  the  question? 

"Question !    Question !    Question !    Question  !    Question ! — 
MR.  GOULD  :     Mr.  Chairman,  I  want  to  be  heard. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  All  those  in  favor  of  the  motion  signify  the 
same  by  saying  aye.  Those  opposed  by  saying  no.  The  ayes, 
have  it. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  173 

MR.  GOULD:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  protest  in  the  name  of  Califor- 
nia— 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :     What  is  the  next  business — 

MR.  GOULD:  — against  this  forcing  down  the  throats  of  the 
California  delegation  that  resolution  without  an  opportunity  to  be 
debated — a  question  that  is  absolutely  vital  to  their  interests. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  gentleman  is  out  of  order.  The  pro- 
test amounts  to  nothing  now. 

MR.  GOULD  :     It  is  heard,  though. 

MR.  CALLBREATH  (Colorado)  :  I  would  like  to  ask  you,  Mf. 
Chairman,  to  ask  this  convention  how  many  men  have  voted  who 
are  not  delegates.  If  it  is  not  too  late,  I  demand  the  ayes  and  noes. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  Let  us  have  fair  play  and  fairness  in  this  mat- 
ter. It  has  been  suggested  eloquently,  by  the  gentleman  from  Texas, 
that  if  it  came  to  a  question  of  voting  Chinese  or  no  Chinese,  that 
he  was  opposed  to  them.  Has  his  voice  been  heard?  Have  the 
other  members  of  this  delegation  been  heard?  Are  those  who  voted 
no  in  this  convention  delegates  to  the  convention?  And  is  Califor- 
nia to  go  home  and  say  that  the  great  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial 
Congress  is  in  favor  of  admitting  Chinese  into  this  territory? 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :     The  gentleman  is  out  of  order. 

JUDGE  RAKER  :  I  know  I  am  out  of  order.  If  I  was  in  order, 
I  might  feel  better.  I  want  to  offer  an  amendment,  and  I  want  an 
opportunity — 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  gentleman  is  out  of  order ;  there  is 
nothing  before  the  Congress : 

JUDGE  RAKER:     I  call  for  a  division  on  this  question. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :    Too  late ;  too  late. 

JUDGE  RAKER  :     I  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  chair. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  You  have  heard  the  motion,  gentlemen.  The 
chair  is  appealed  from  on  this  question.  All  in  favor— 

MR.  GOULD  :  Mr.  Chairman,  we  desire  to  be  heard  on  this  ques- 
tion. I  believe  there  is  no  state  in  the  Union  that  is  better  entitled 
to  be  heard  upon  this  question  than  the  state  of  California,  that  I 
have  the  honor  to  represent.  (Applause.)  I  believe  if  there  is  any 
question  that  more  vitally  affects  any  one  state  than  another,  that 
state  is  entitled  to  be  heard  before  this  convention  upon  that  propo- 
sition. I  do  not  believe  that  any  one  will  contend  that  there  is  any 
state  in  this  fair  Union  that  has  so  good  and  right  to  speak  from 


174  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

information  obtained  from  actual  contact  with  the  Chinaman  him- 
self as  the  state  of  California.  Coming  from  the  state  of  Califor- 
nia, having  grown  up  with  the  state,  having  my  heartstrings  inter- 
twined with  her  destiny,  I  plead  with  this  convention  not  to  let  it 
go  forth  to  the  United  States  that  this  great  Congress  is  prepared 
to  thrust  upon  the  state  of  California  an  evil  from  which  she  cannot, 
unaided,  protect  herself.  We  have  succeeded  after  years  and  years 
of  patience,  hard  and  arduous  labor  with  the  remaining  states  of  this 
Union,  in  placing  a  law  upon  the  statute  books  of  the  United  States 
that  has  protected  California  ever  since  its  enactment  from  a  coolie 
invasion  that  threatened  her  very  existence  as  a  Caucasian  state.  If 
you  could  go  upon  those  fair  plains  and  see  the  improvements  in 
social  conditions  which  have  taken  place  since  that  time,  I  know 
that  the  president  of  this  convention  could  not — dare  not — thrust 
down  the  throats  of  the  people  the  evil  that  by  this  resolution  is  at- 
tempted to  be  accomplished.  We  are  just  recovering  now  from  the 
vast  influx  that  came  there;  we  are  just  dividing  up  the  vast  ranches 
in  our  great  state  that  are  the  products  of  Chinese  labor.  We  are 
just  in  the  position  where  we  can  invite  the  poor  of  the  world  to 
come  there  and  make  a  home  with  us,  and  we  are  improving  our 
great  state  in  such  a  way  that  we  will  presently  present  to  the  world 
a  vision  of  Italy  outdone.  Now,  you  say  to  us  that  the  great  land 
barons  of  California,  with  their  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres,  and 
the  great  merchant  princes  of  California,  whose  sole  interest  in  this 
subject  is  that  they  may  procure  great  works  done  for  their  indi- 
vidual benefit,  for  transportation  and  the  like — you  say  to  us  that 
they  may  fasten  upon  the  state  a  fester  that  can  never  again  be  eradi- 
cated. We  want  an  opportunity  to  be  heard ;  that  is  all  we  ask.  We 
want  an  opportunity  to  be  heard  in  an  effective  way.  I  leave  it  to 
this  convention,  if  I  did  not  warn  the  chairman  that  California 
wanted  to  be  heard  upon  this  question  before  he  announced  the  vote. 
I  leave  it  to  the  convention  if  California  has  been  treated  fairly  or 
honestly  by  the  chairman  of  this  convention  upon  this  question.  No 
man  respects  the  chairman  of  this  convention  who  then  presided, 
more  than  I  do.  I  saw  him  as  he  presided  in  the  convention  of  the 
Irrigation  Congress  two  years  ago  in  Ogden.  I  know  the  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  in  that  community,  and  I  ask  him  now  to  ask 
the  chairman  of  this  convention  that  this  appeal  be  sustained,  and 
that  California  may  now  be  heard. 

(As  soon  as  Mr.  Gould  began  to  address  the  chairman,  Mr. 
John  Henry  Smith,  of  Utah,  who  was  then  presiding,  called  Gov- 
ernor Prince  to  the  chair.) 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE,  in  the  chair :  The  chair  will  state  the  ques- 
tion. It  is,  Shall  the  decision  of  the  chair  stand  as  the  judgment  of 
the  house? 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  175 

A  delegate  asked  what  the  question  or  decision  was,  which  was 
appealed  from. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  decision  which  the  present  chair  under- 
stands is  appealed  from  is  a  decision  that  the  motion  to  adopt  the 
report  of  the  committee  was  carried. 

MR.  FLEMING:     I  would  like  to  be  recognized. 
THE  CHAIRMAN  :     Mr.  Fleming. 

MR.  FLEMING  :  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen  of  the  Congress, 
I  am  impressed  with  the  notion  that  this  entire  proceeding  can  be 
best  described  as  "a  tempest  in  a  teapot."  We  have  had  a  great  deal 
of  impassioned  oratory  without  any  just  provocation  for  the  ex- 
penditure of  so  much  energy.  Replying  especially  to  the  remarks  of 
the  gentleman  from  California,  I  wish  to  suggest  that  if  California 
has  not  been  fully  heard  in  this  Congress,  and  the  subjects  of  par- 
ticular concern  to  the  Pacific  Coast  have  not  been  given  almost  a 
monopoly  of  the  time  of  this  gathering,  I  am  very  much  in  error. 
The  decision  of  the  Chair  should  be  sustained  for  the  reason  that 
the  Chair  properly  announced  the  result  of  the  vote.  Speaking 
briefly  of  the  merits  of  this  proposition,  I  will  say  that  when  this 
question  of  Chinese  immigration  came  up  in  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions  it  was  decided  that,  for  the  present  at  least,  this  was 
somewhat  of  a  local  question,  or  at  least  that  it  was  of  greater  con- 
cern to  the  Pacific  Coast  than  to  any  other  part  of  the  Trans-Mis- 
sissippi country.  It  was  highly  desirable  that  acrimonious  con- 
troversies upon  semi-political  questions  should  be  kept  out  of  the 
proceedings  of  this  body,  and  with  this  end  in  view  I  appointed  a 
sub-committee,  consisting  of  former  Governor  MJoore  of  Washing- 
ton, Mr.  Benjamin  of  San  Francisco,  and  then  brought  to  their  de- 
liberation the  benefit  and  advantage  of  the  disinterested  judgment  of 
Judge  Kimble,  one  of  the  most  eminent  jurists  of  the  State  of  Kan- 
sas. My  impression  is  that  Mr.  Wilcox,  who  is  certainly  a  thor- 
oughly representative  business  man  of  the  Pacific  Coast  and  who 
addressed  you  upon  this  subject,  conferred  with  this  sub-com- 
mittee, and  that  their  draft  of  a  resolution  upon  the  subject  of  immi- 
gration represented  the  unanimous  judgment  of  the  sub-committee. 
Afterwards  it  was  submitted  to  the  Committee  on  Resolutions,  and 
after  due  consideration  was  unanimously  approved  by  the  com- 
mittee, including  the  two  representatives  from  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia— Mr.  Benjamin  and  Mr.  Craig. 

Under  this  state  of  facts  I  submit  to  the  members  of  this 
Congress  and  to  the  gentleman  from  California,  who  so  eloquently 
addressed  you,  if  his  remark  to  the  effect  that  this  resolution  was 
intended  to  mislead  and  entrap  this  Congress  was  not  only  un- 
generous, but  absolutely  unjust.  There  is  nothing  in  this  resolu- 


176  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

tion  that  justified  the  charge  that  it  is  an  invitation  for  the  importa- 
tion of  coolie  labor  into  the  United  States.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  an 
unqualified  declaration  in  favor  of  a  comprehensive  immigration 
law  that  will  exclude  undesirable  immigration  from  every  country 
in  the  world.  (Great  applause  and  cheers;  cries  of  "Good,"  "Good!") 

It  seems  to  me  passing  strange  that  any  man  in  a  great  con- 
vention of  representative  business  men  like  this  would  get  up  and 
assert  that  its  Committee  on  Resolutions  had  deliberately  acted  in 
bad  faith,  or  that  he  had  been  treated  with  injustice  by  our  honored 
Vice-President,  and  attempt  to  place  the  presiding  officer  of  this 
Congress  in  a  false  light. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  May  I  ask  the  gentleman  a  question? 

MR.  FLEMING  :  I  will  yield  to  a  question  when  I  am  through. 
The  matter  is  simply  this,  and  perhaps  it  is  all  right,  too,  if  viewed 
from  the  proper  standpoint.  In  a  large  gathering  of  men  from 
the  various  sections  of  the  country,  there  must  be,  I  suppose,  some 
brilliant  minds  with  a  taste  and  ambition  for  the  public  service,  and 
naturally  they  wish  to  exploit  their  views  upon  certain  questions 
that  would  probably  popularize  them  with  the  dear  people  at  home. 
By  conjuring  up  a  bogie  man  an  opportunity  is  presented  for  im- 
passioned eloquence,  that  a  sober  and  rational  discussion  among 
business  men  would  not  furnish.  There  has  been  absolutely  no 
occasion  for  this.  Further,  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  before 
I  take  my  seat  I  want  to  add  that  sitting  upon  this  platform  and 
being  entirely  disinterested  I  observed  those  who  voted.  It  was 
plainly  evident  that  the  Congress  voted  in  favor  of  the  adoption 
of  this  report,  and  there  could  not  possibly  be  any  error,  and  for 
this  reason  I  was  surprised  beyond  measure  at  the  charge  made 
by  the  gentleman  from  California,  that  the  Chair  had  improperly 
announced  the  result  of  the  vote.  For  these  reasons  I  submit  to 
your  fair  consideration  that  the  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the 
Chair  should  not  be  sustained.  (Great  applause.) 

JUDGE  RAKER:     May  I  ask  the  gentleman  a  question? 
MR.  FLEMING:     With  pleasure. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  Was  the  gentleman  observing  the  proceeding 
at  the  time  I  rose? 

MR.  FLEMING:     Yes,  I  was  observing  the  business  of  the  con- 
vention. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  before  the  previous  ques- 
tiqn  was  asked  I  was  on  my  feet  demanding  to  be  heard? 

MR.   FLEMING:     Replying  to  your  question    with    its    implied 
meaning,  I  will  state  that  my  understanding  is  that  the  rules  of  this 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL   CONGRESS.  177 

Congress  limit  the  discussion  to  the  particular  subject  before  it. 
Furthermore,  for  the  information  of  the  gentleman  from  California, 
that  this  resolution  upon  the  subject  of  immigration  was  endorsed 
by  both  of  the  representatives  from  his  state  upon  the  Committee 
on  Resolutions,  and  that  I  have  been  informed  that  it  was  also 
endorsed  by  a  majority  of  the  California  delegates  to  this  Congress. 

JUDGE  RAKER:     I  want  to     inform  the  gentleman  that  his  un- 
derstanding of  the  matter  is  entirely  incorrect. 

(The  Chair  pounded  vigorously  for  order.) 

MR.  GOULD:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  rise  to  a  question  of  personal 
privilege.  I  was  present  at  the  meeting  of  the  California  delegation 
when  this  question  arose,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  California 
delegation  that  this  was  a  social  question,  and  that,  therefore,  it  was 
the  sense  of  the  California  delegation  that  this  question  be  not  con- 
sidered by  this  Congress,  and  I  think  the  California  delegation  will 
bear  me  out  in  that  statement.  Another  question  of  personal  privi- 
lege also.  The  gentleman's  insinuations  seem  to  imply  that  I  was 
seeking  public  notoriety.  Now,  I  assume  that  a  gentleman  has  a 
right  to  come  before  a  convention  of  this  character  and  to  speak  on 
any  subject;  and  when  a  gentleman  makes  a  statement  intimating 
that  another  is  a  demagogue,  I  protest  against  it  as  improper  and 
unparliamentary.  (Applause.) 

EX-GOVERNOR  MOORE  :  Mr.  Chairman,  as  chairman  of  the  sub- 
committee— 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Will  the  gentleman  let  the  chair  make  a  sug- 
gestion? The  sole  subject  before  this  body  now  is  the  appeal  from 
the  decision  of  the  chair  on  a  certain  motion.  The  debate,  to  be 
in  order,  must  be  entirely  on  that  subject,  not  on  the  subject  of  the 
original  motion,  or  anything  that  is  not  directly  connected  with  the 
appeal.  Now,  I  recognize  the  gentleman  from  Washington. 

Ex-GovENOR  MOORE:  I  haven't  anything  to  offer;  the  Chair 
has  anticipated  my  suggestion. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  I  would  suggest  to  the  Congress  that  the 
easiest  way  out  of  this  is  to  withdraw  the  appeal  and  make  a  motion 
to  reconsider,  and  if  that  is  carried,  it  will  open  up  the  whole  matter 
for  discussion  anew. 

JUDGE  RAKER:  I  ask  that  some  person  who  voted  in  favor  of 
that  motion  to  adopt  the  report  of  the  committee,  now  move  to  re- 
consider. 

"Question!    Question!    Question!    Question!    Question!" 

MR.  HARRIS  (Texas)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  suggest,  speaking  to 
the  pending  question,  that  a  motion  to  reconsider  would  not  be  in 
order  on  the  appeal.  Governor  Prince  is  temporarily  in  the  chair. 


178 


REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 


THE  CHAIRMAN  :  I  said  that  the  appeal  be  withdrawn,  and  Mr. 
John  Henry  Smith  be  restored  to  his  proper  position,  and  then  a 
motion  to  reconsider  could  be  made. 

JUDGE  RAKER  :  In  the  interest  of  fairness,  I  will  withdraw  my 
appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  Chair,  so  that  we  can  have  a  motion 
to  reconsider. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :    The  appeal  is  withdrawn. 

MR.  HARRIS:  (Texas)  :  I  now  move  to  reconsider  the  vote  on 
the  motion. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  gentleman  from  Texas  moves  to  recon- 
sider the  vote  by  which  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions 
was  adopted. 

(GOVERNOR  PRINCE,  temporary  Chairman,  at  this  time,  called 
the  former  Chairman,  Mr.  Smith,  to  the  chair.) 

MR.  SMITH  :  With  your  consent,  gentlemen,  I  will  place  Gov- 
ernor Prince  in  the  chair. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE  took  the  chair. 

MR.  HARRIS  (Texas)  :  I  move  to  reconsider  the  vote  by  which 
the  resolution  which  has  just  been  declared  adopted  was  adopted. 

The  motion  was  seconded  by  a  delegate,  who  asked  that  the  vote 
be  taken  by  a  roll  call  of  states. 

The  roll  call  being  demanded,  a  recess  of  three  minutes  was 
taken  in  order  to  let  the  state  delegations  get  together. 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS  called  the  roll  of  states  and  announced  the 
result  as  follows : 


Aye 

No 

Aye 

No 

Alaska                  .    . 

10 

Brought  forward 

11 

112 

Arkansas          ...          ... 

Nebraska                   

10 

Arizona          

10 

Nevada  . 

10 

California  

11 

13 

New  Mexico 

5 

5 

Colorado    

10 

North  Dakota 

15 

Iowa    

10 

Oklahoma  

10 

Idaho 

10 

Oregon 

15 

15 

Indian  Territory 

10 

South  Dakota 

Kansas              

10 

Texas                       

10 

Louisiana 

Utah 

13 

Minnesota                     .  .    . 

10 

Washington 

1 

13 

Montana  

JO 

Wyoming          .... 

Missouri  

1 

9 

Carried  forward 

12 

112 

Total 

42 

208 

TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  179 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :    The  motion  to  reconsider  is  lost. 

MR.  FLEMING  :  M;r-  Chairman  and  gentlemen  of  the  Congress, 
I  ask  unanimous  consent  to  offer  a  short  resolution  which  I  will 
read,  with  your  permission,  as  follows : 

THANKS  TO  THE  PRESS. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Congress  are  due  to  the  daily  press 
of  Portland  for  its  comprehensive  and  intelligent  reports  from  day  to  day 
of  the  proceedings  of  this  Congress;  and  also  the  thanks  of  the  Congress 
are  due  to  the  Associated  Press,  the  Scripps-McRea  and  other  news  associa- 
tions for  their  fair  and  impartial  reports. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  JOHN  HENRY  SMITH  in  the  chair:  Gentle- 
men, I  thank  you.  The  next  thing  in  order  is  an  article  on  the  live- 
stock interests  of  the  Mississippi  region  by  T.  W.  Tomlinson,  of 
Denver.  Is  the  gentleman  present? 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS:  Mr.  Tomlinson  has  submitted  his  re- 
marks and  asked  that  they  be  printed  in  the  record. 

On  motion  duly  seconded,  it  was  voted  that  the  address  be 
printed  in  the  official  record. 

The  paper  by  Mr.  T.  W.  Tomlinson,  secretary  of  the  American 
Stock  Growers'  Association,  Denver,  Colo.,  follows: 

LIVESTOCK  INTERESTS  OF  THE  TRANS-MISSISSIPPI  REGION. 

There  are  two  national  questions  of  great  importance  which  vitally 
concern  not  only  the  livestock  industry  of  the  trans-Mississippi  region,  but 
the  prosperity  of  all  the  varied  interests  of  this  country  and  the  welfare  of 
every  citizen  of  this  republic.  One  is  our  international  trade  relations,  and 
the  other  is  the  regulation  of  interstate  railroad  rates  and  charges  by  a 
proper  tribunal  of  the  United  States  government. 

INTERNATIONAL    TRADE    RELATIONS. 

In  considering  our  international  trade  relations  it  should  always  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  foundation  of  our  national  prosperity  lies  in  our 
unrivaled  agricultural  resources  and  their  development.  There  has  been 
nothing  artificial  about  this  development;  no  favors  were  necessary  to  pro- 
mote it;  simply  the  utilization  of  a  fertile  soil  and  favoring  climate.  Half 
a  century  ago  the  exports  of  our  meat  products  were  of  little  importance; 
last  year  we  exported  approximately  20  per  cent  of  the  meat  products  and 
the  meat  animals  we  produced.  Of  the  total  value  of  our  exports  during 
1904,  agricultural  products,  including  livestock  and  meats,  represented  $850,- 
000,000,  or  60  per  cent ;  in  former  years  it  has  always  averaged  a  higher 
percentage.  Our  surplus  of  agricultural  products  and  livestock  has  been 
largely  induced  by  the  export  demand;  that  demand  is  the  prime  factor 
in  establishing  the  price  at  home,  which,  in  turn,  is  the  measure  of  profit 
to  the  farmer  and  stock  grower,  and  on  their  prosperity  all  other  industries 
are  admittedly  dependent.  Those  familiar  with  the  character  of  that  terri- 
tory, the  acquirement  of  which  this  exposition  commemorates,  will  in- 
dorse the  statement  that  we  have  not  reached  the  limit  of  our  production 
of  meats  and  grain;  in  all  probability  it  will  gradually  increase  for  many 


180  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

years ;  likewise  will  the  surplus  that  we  can  spare  for  export.  Therefore, 
we  must  in  future  find  a  foreign  market  for  a  larger  volume  of  these 
products  or  a  radical  readjustment  of  agriculture  and  livestock  conditions 
will  be  imperative. 

At  the  outset  I  desire  to  distinctly  disavow  any  partisanship.  The 
best  interests  of  the  livestock  industry,  as  I  view  them,  require  the  correc- 
tion of  certain  abuses  that  have  grown  up  under  the  existing  laws,  and  our 
tariff  should  now  be  revised  so  that  it  can  be  made  an  effective  agency  for 
opening  foreign  markets  for  our  food  products,  or,  at  least,  for  retaining 
such  trade  as  we  now  possess.  I  will  confine  my  remarks  specifically  to 
meat  animals  and  their  products,  although  they  apply  with  almost  equal 
significance  to  all  the  products  of  agriculture. 

For  many  years  this  nation  has  proceeded  on  the  theory  that  foreign 
countries  must  buy  our  meats,  and  their  needs  were  so  urgent  that  any 
import  duties  or  restrictions  they  might  impose  would  not  lessen  the  de- 
mand. Several  recent  instances  to  the  contrary,  together  with  present  and 
threatened  conditions,  compel  a  modification  of  these  views;  and,  further- 
more, there  are  new  factors  to  be  considered,  such  as  the  competition  of 
Argentina,  New  Zealand  and  Canada,  making  it  all  the  more  important 
that  this  problem  should  receive  immediate  and  careful  attention  by  con- 
gress. The  result  of  any  increase  or  reduction  of  foreign  duties  on  our 
meat  products  has  invariably  been  reflected  in  the  volume  of  such  exports; 
this  is  plainly  noticeable  in  the  decrease  of  our  exports  to  France  and  Ger- 
many following  the  increase  in  their  duties. 

Our  exports  of  live  cattle  did  not  reach  any  appreciable  volume  until 
early  in  the  seventies.  Since  then  they  have  steadily  increased,  both  in 
number  and  value  per  head,  and  during  last  year,  which  was  the  record,  about 
600,000  head  were  exported,  valued  at  $41,500,000.  Of  this  number  388,000 
head,  valued  at  $36,000,000,  and  averaging  per  head  $98,  went  to  the  United 
Kingdom.  That  country  is  the  only  important  foreign  market  where  our 
beef  cattle  are  admitted  free  of  duty.  In  1894  the  importation  of  cattle 
from  the  United  States  to  Germany  was  prohibited  on  account  of  the  al- 
leged discovery  of  Texas  fever,  and  in  1895  France  took  the  same  action; 
the  duties  of  other  continental  countries,  with  the  exception  of  Belgium, 
are  so  high  as  to  almost  amount  to  prohibition. 

Of  sheep  we  exported  last  year  338,000,  valued  at  $2,173,000,  of  which 
number  the  United  Kingdom  received  248,000,  or  73  per  cent. 

During  1904  this  country  exported  fresh  beef  valued  at  $24,100,000; 
salted  beef,  $3,000,000;  canned  beef,  $5,200,000;  tallow,  $3,000,000,  and  oleo 
oil,  $12,000,000,  a  total  of  $47,300,000.  These  are  decreases  from  recent 
years,  and  are  the  smallest  annual  exports  of  these  products  since  1898. 

Our  exports  of  hog  products  last  year  were  valued  at  $110,000.000,  a 
marked  decrease,  both  in  quantity  and  value,  from  the  average  of  recent 
years  for  all  classes  of  provisions  except  lard  and  sausage  casings. 

According  to  the  government  figures,  the  exports  of  all  meats  and 
meat  products  (not  including  live  animals)  during  the  six  years  preceding 
1904,  averaged  $177,000,000.  Last  year  they  amounted  to  $160,000,000,  or  $17,- 
000,000  less  than  the  average,  and  $36,000,000  less  than  the  high  total  of  1901. 

A  careful  examination  of  all  available  data  supports  the  conclusion 
that  our  export  trade  in  meat  products,  which  has  been  gradually  expanding 
for  many  years,  has  about  reached  its  limit  under  present  conditions,  and,  in 
view  of  impending  additional  duties  on  the  part  of  some  foreign  countries, 
a  serious  decline  in  this  trade  is  probable.  Our  only  free  market  is  the 
United  Kingdom  The  governments  of  continental  Europe  and  other  coun- 
tries, with  but  few  exceptions  as  to  certain  commodities,  now  impose  or 
threaten  to  impose  duties  and  restrictions  on  our  livestock  and  its  product, 
many  of  which  are  substantially  prohibitive. 

During  1904  the  United  Kingdom  took  66  per  cent  of  our  total  ex- 
ports of  livestock  and  meat  products;  the  volume  of  this  trade  to  that 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  181 

country  was  substantially  the  same  as  in  previous  years,  but  to  all  other 
European  countries  there  was  a  marked  decline.  Our  trade  in  meat  products 
to  continental  Europe  is  in  a  deplorable  state.  Last  year  we  exported  to 
Germany  meat  products  valued  approximately  at  $17,600,000,  a  decrease 
from  the  preceding  year  of  22  per  cent;  to  the  Netherlands,  $12,800,000,  a 
decrease  of  6  per  cent;  to  Belgium,  $4,200,000,  a  decrease  of  19  per  cent; 
to  France,  $860,000,  a  decrease  of  47  per  cent.  These  exports  average  less 
than  for  recent  years,  and  every  indication  points  to  a  further  shrinkage 
unless  present  conditions  are  altered. 

The  reason  for  decreasing  exports  to  continental  countries  is  plain. 
Their  duties  have  been  advanced,  in  some  cases  special  articles  have  been 
prohibited,  inspection  and  other  fees  have  been  doubled,  and  sanitary  re- 
strictions have  multiplied. 

The  present  German  custom  law  dates  from  1879,  but  has  been  sub- 
sequently modified  in  several  respects.  Under  this  law  the  import  duty  on 
bacon  is  equivalent  in  our  money  to  2.2  cents  per  pound ;  on  other  pork  prod- 
ucts and  fresh  meat,  1.8  cents;  on  lard  and  oleo  oil,  1.1  cents;  on  meat  ex- 
tracts and  bouillon,  2.2  cents,  and  on  canned  meats,  6.5  cents  per  pound.  In 
1900  the  importation  of  sausages  and  canned  meats  was  prohibited,  and 
there  was  then  passed  by  the  Agrarian  party  a  new  inspection  law,  which 
provided  (in  addition  to  the  duties  above  named)  a  charge  for  general 
inspection,  another  charge  for  chemical  inspection,  and  in  the  case  of  hog 
products  a  further  charge  for  inspection  for  trichina.  These  extra  charges 
average,  on  hog  products,  from  1%  to  2%  cents  per  pound.  The  effect  of 
these  added  restrictions  is  apparent  in  the  decreased  exports  from  this 
country  and  the  enhanced  prices  for  meats  in  Germany,  which  are  higher 
today  than  for  twenty-five  years  and  are  causing  bitter  complaint  on  the 
part  of  the  manufacturing  element  in  that  country. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  present  almost  prohibitive  duties  and  regulations,. 
Germany  passed  another  law,  to  take  effect  in  March,  1906,  provided  satis- 
factory reciprocal  treaties  are  not  negotiated  before  then,  increasing  the 
duties  on  fresh  and  prepared  meats  from  this  country  about  three-fold,  and 
on  lard  and  its  compounds,  oleo,  etc.,  about  25  per  cent.  These  new  duties 
will  absolutely  prevent  our  shipping  any  meat  products  to  Germany. 

France  is  an  agricultural  country,  somewhat  like  our  own.  Still,  under 
the  French  tariff  law  of  1892,  we  were  able  to  sell  that  country,  for  many 
years,  about  $4,000,000  worth  of  meat  products  annually.  In  1903  France 
enacted  a  new  tariff  law,  making  the  import  duty  on  all  beef  and  pork  prod- 
ucts, fresh  or  salted,  from  this  country,  4.4  cents  per  pound,  and  on  lard,  1.3 
cents  per  pound.  These  duties,  on  most  of  our  meat  products,  were  double 
those  previously  in  force,  and  the  effect  was  promptly  reflected  in  our  exports 
to  France,  which  amounted  last  year  to  only  $860,000,  or  about  one-fifth  of 
the  average  of  previous  years. 

The  duties  of  Germany  and  France  serve  as  fair  examples  of  the  import 
tariffs  of  other  nations.  Some  have  higher  and  others  lower  schedules,  but 
none  are  nominal,  and  all  have  a  potent  influence  on  the  vofume  of  our 
export  trade  in  these  products. 

The  recent  action  of  Germany  and  France  presages  what  we  may 
justly  expect  from  other  countries  unless  this  nation  makes  some  reasonable 
concessions.  These  foreign  nations  need  our  food  products  and  will  buy  (them 
generously  provided  we  will  permit  them  to  sell  something  in  exchange; 
but  so  long  as  we  try  to  exclude  every  article  they  could  sell  to  us,  we  can- 
not blame  them  for  retaliating  with  the  same  tactics.  The  day  of  reckoning 
has  come.  In  order  to  permit  some  of  our  manufacturing  concerns  to  sell 
their  goods  at  a  round  price  at  home,  and  probably  a  less  price  abroad,  our 
livestock  products  are  being  barred  out  of  many  foreign  markets  where  they 
are  needed  and  where  they  could  be  sold  at  a  fair  profit.  ' 


182  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

President  McKinley,  in  his  Buffalo  address,  said: 

"A  system  which  provides  a  mutual  exchange  of  commodi- 
ties is  manifestly  essential  to  the  continued  and  healthful  growth  of 
our  export  trade.  We  must  not  repose  in  fancied  security  that  we 
can  forever  sell  everything  and  buy  little  or  nothing  If  such  a 
thing  were  possible,  it  would  not  be  best  for  us  or  for  those  with 
whom  we  deal." 

From  1790  to  1897  the  excess  of  our  exports  over  imports  was  $353,000,- 
000.  During  the  succeeding  seven  years,  ending  last  December,  the  excess 
was  $3,700,000,000,  or  ten  times  greater  than  during  the  previous  107  years. 
These  figures  spell  great  changes  in  our  commerce  with  the  world.  In  the 
earlier  years  of  our  national  life  our  imports  exceeded  our  exports.  Such 
is  the  history  of  all  new  countries.  With  our  development  came  the  increase 
in  our  exports  and  the  reversal  of  former  conditions ;  and  now  our  exports 
have  grown  so  rapidly  that  the  present  stupendous  balance  of  trade  should 
cause  grave  apprehension.  It  is  axiomatic  that  the  advantages  of  trade  must 
be  mutual.  If  we  do  not  desire  to  pose  as  universal  philanthropists,  we 
must  buy  as  much  as  we  sell.  We  cannot  forever  go  on  exporting  more  than 
we  import.  Indeed,  the  tide  must  turn  within  not  many  years. 

We  are  confronted  with  a  situation  unlike  any  in  our  history.  The 
balance  of  trade  is  so  largely  in  our  favor  that  it  ought  not  cause  surprise 
if  other  nations  adopt  the  most  radical  measures  in  self-protection.  The 
weapons  they  will  use  will  strike  deep  at  our  most  vulnerable  points,  the 
prosperity  of  the  agricultural  and  livestock  industries.  These  interests  have 
too  long  been  paying  the  price  for  the  special  privileges  accorded  to  certain 
of  our  manufacturers,  and  unless  conditions  are  speedily  corrected  it  is  prob- 
able they  will  be  subjected  to  a  further  burden.  The  situation  admits  of  no 
temporizing ;  heroic  remedies  must  be  applied ;  the  policy  of  favoritism  has 
served  its  day ;  reprisals  and  retaliation  will  intensify,  not  correct,  the  diffi- 
culties; a  radical  revision  of  our  international  tariff  relations  is  the  only 
solution.  Fairness  to  the  agricultural  and  livestock  interests  demands  that 
they  shall  be  given  an  equal  chance  We  want  a  square  deal. 

Competition  is  keen  in  the  markets  of  the  world,  and  elementary  eco- 
nomics should  teach  us  to  meet  that  competition  with  articles  that  cost  us 
the  least  and  whose  sale  would  benefit  us  the  most.  We  raise  80  per  cent 
of  the  corn  crop  of  the  world  and  consequently  are  in  a  position  to  produce 
better  livestock  and  at  relatively  less  expense  than  any  other  country.  That 
being  true,  it  is  of  paramount  importance  that  our  united  efforts  should  be 
devoted  towards  conserving  and  promoting  the  sale,  and  especially  to  remove 
any  restrictions,  on  the  free  exchange  of  our  meat  products. 

I  quote  once  more  from  President  McKinley's  historic  address  at 
Buffalo : 

"If  perchance  some  of  our  tariffs  are  no  longer  needed  for 

revenue  or  to  encourage  and  protect  our  industries  at  home,  why 

should  they  not  be  employed  to  extend  and  promote  our  markets 

abroad  ?' 

This  should  be  the  basis  of  our  reciprocal  negotiations  with  foreign 
countries.  Those  manufacturers  that  now  successfully  compete  in  foreign 
markets  do  not  need  any  further  protection,  if  indeed  it  was  ever  necessary. 
Some  other  manufacturers  have  increased  the  volume  of  their  business  by 
selling  abroad  at  little  or  no  profit,  relying  upon  the  protected  home  market 
to  furnish  them  abundant  profits.  Such  export  trade  is  worse  than  none, 
because  it  reduces  the  buying  power  of  foreign  countries,  and  is  without  any 
compensating  advantages  as  to  profit  and  influence  on  prices  as  would  flow 
from  the  sale  of  our  surplus  food  products. 

In  view  of  the  acute  situation  brought  about  by  the  new  German  tariff 
this  question  of  our  international  trade  relations  assumes  greater  importance 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  183 

than  ever  before,  and  it  merits  the  careful  consideration  of  every  public- 
spirited  citizen,  because  it  vitally  affects  us  all. 

Reciprocity  is  a  consistent  and  reasonable  policy  for  the  further  develop- 
ment of  this  nation;  it  means  fair  trade;  it  does  not  contemplate  that  we 
will  do  all  the  business  of  the  world,  but  that  we  will  sell  abroad  those  arti- 
cles whose  exportation  is  most  beneficial  to  the  entire  country,  in  exchange 
for  other  commodities  we  cannot  produce,  and  for  such  other  articles  as 
some  nations  excel  us  in  manufacturing;  it  means  safe,  conservative  trade 
upon  a  solid,  not  artificial  basis. 

Various  mutually  advantageous  reciprocal  treaties  have  been  proposed 
in  recent  years  and  in  every  instance  were  defeated  by  the  opposition  of  a  few 
manufacturers,  who  profit  by  present  conditions,  and  whose  importance  to- 
the  general  welfare  of  this  nation  is  insignificant  compared  with  that  of  the 
livestock  and  agricultural  industries. 

When  considered  in  the  light  of  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  num- 
ber, I  believe  it  will  be  the  unanimous  opinion  of  all  fair-minded  men  that 
we  have  just  cause  for  complaint,  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  congress  to  so 
readjust  our  tariff  as  to  enable  us  not  only  to  retain  our  present  trade  in 
meat  products,  but  to  extend  it  into  other  countries,  thus  insuring  a  continu- 
ance of  that  national  prosperity  of  which  the  livestock  and  agricultural  indus- 
tries furnish  so  large  a  part. 

FEDERAL    REGULATION    OF    RAILROADS. 

The  other  question  I  desire  to  briefly  discuss  is  the  federal  regulation 
and  supervision  of  railroad  rates  and  charges  by  the  interstate  commerce 
commission. 

When  Lewis  and  Clark  made  their  memorable  journey  a  century  ago 
railroads  were  undreamed  of.  Today  they  gridiron  this  continent,  and  to 
them  more  than  any  other  factor  should  be  attributed  the  marvelous  growth 
of  this  northwest  territory.  Livestock  is  no  longer  trailed  from  one  section 
of  the  country  to  the  other.  The  evolution  to  the  present  method  of  trans- 
porting livestock  and  distributing  its  product  is  coincident  with  the  growth 
of  railroads.  The  livestock  industry  needs  the  railroads  for  the  very  neces- 
sary service  they  perform,  and  the  railroads  need  the  livestock  industry  for 
the  large  tonnage  it  supplies.  In  many  respects  their  interests  are  mutual.  But 
occasionally  there  are  elements  of  discord,  arising  mainly  on  the  point  of  what 
price  should  be  paid  for  the  service,  and  there  is  no  effective  means  by  which 
such  differences  can  be  justly  decided  and  a  proper  rate  put  in  force. 

President  Roosevelt  has  said  that  the  most  important  legislative  act 
now  needed  as  regards  the  regulation  of  corporations  is  the  act  to  confer  on 
the  interstate  commerce  commission  the  power,  where  a  given  rates  has 
been  challenged  and  after  full  hearing  found  to  be  unreasonable  and  unjust, 
to  decide  what  shall  be  a  reasonable  rate  to  take  its  place ;  the  rate  thus  fixed 
to  go  into  effect  practically  at  once. 

Railroads  are  quasi-public  institutions;  their  right  to  exist  comes  from 
the  government  and  the  government  unquestionably  has  the  power  to  regu- 
late their  charges.  For  over  a  hundred  years  the  common  law  has  pro- 
hibited unjust  and  unreasonable  rates,  and  the  railroads,  when  they  embark 
in  business,  do  so  subject  to  that  prohibition,  and  in  that  respect  their  rights 
are  different  from  those  of  a  private  business,  although  in  practice  the  rail- 
roads are  not  willing  to  admit  any  difference.  It  was  largely  to  vitalize  that 
prohibition  of  the  common  law  that  the  interstate  commerce  law  was  enacted 
in  1887.  Certain  supreme  court  decisions  have  since  declared  that  the  com- 
mission cannot  fix  a  rate  in  lieu  of  one  which  it  may  decide  is  unjust  or 
unreasonable,  and,  as  the  courts  have  not  that  power,  the  public  is  without 
any  relief  except  through  the  fairness  or  generosity  of  the  carrier.  Courts 
can  condemn  an  unreasonable  rate,  but  they  cannot  say  what  rate  shall  take 
its  place.  One  might,  after  a  long  litigation  through  the  courts,  recover  any 


184  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

excess  over  a  reasonable  charge,  but  that  is  a  partial  remedy  at  best  and 
within  the  reach  of  only  a  few  able  to  conduct  a  long  drawn  legal  fight  with 
a  strong  corporation.  Such  remedy  is  so  impracticable  that  it  has  never 
been  resorted  to,  and  no  case  can  be  cited  to  show  its  practical  application. 
What  is  needed  is  a  speedy  and  inexpensive  method. 

After  the  interstate  commerce  commission  has  carefully  heard  all  the 
evidence  on  both  sides  relative  to  any  rate  or  charge  complained  of,  and  if 
their  decision  is  that  the  rate  is  unjust,  unreasonable  or  discriminatory,  then, 
in  all  fairness,  I  contend,  that  such  rate  as  in  their  judgment  is  right  should 
be  promptly  put  in  effect.  If  the  railroads  see  fit  to  question  the  rate  thus 
fixed,  they  can  appeal  to  the  courts.  The  supreme  court  has  said  that  a 
tribunal,  such  as  the  interstate  commerce  commission,  possessing  special 
expert  knowledge  and  complete  statistical  information,  is  far  more  competent 
than  any  court  to  decide  disputed  questions  as  to  railroad  rates.  A  court 
does  not  usually  possess  such  qualifications,  nor  has  it  the  same  opportuni- 
ties for  acquiring  elaborate  and  special  information  necessary  to  the  consid- 
eration of  such  questions.  We  are,  therefore,  amply  warranted  in  indulging 
the  presumption  that  the  commission's  order  is  correct,  and,  hence,  why 
should  its  enforcement  be  delayed  on  the  supposition  that  a  court,  less  com- 
petent to  pass  on  the  merits  of  the  question  than  the  commission,  would  decide 
otherwise,  and  thereby  loss  would  result  to  the  railroad?  It  sounds  well  to 
say  that  the  railroads  are  able  to  pay  whatever  the  courts  may  finally  decide 
is  illegal,  and  that  a  bond  to  do  so  would  protect  the  shippers,  but  the  actual 
operation  of  such  a  method  would  be  almost  a  travesty  on  justice.  If  a  rate 
decided  by  the  commission  to  be  just  and  reasonable  in  lieu  of  one  com- 
plained of  is  not  made  effective  until  reviewed  by  the  courts,  then  a  com- 
plainant is  compelled  to  conduct  two  proceedings,  one  before  the 
commission  and  another  before  the  court,  and  probably  at  the  end  of  two 
to  five  years,  he  may  get  a  final  decision  in  his  favor.  The  damage  suf- 
fered in  the  interim,  by  those  directly  and  indirectly  affected,  cannot  be  meas- 
ured in  the  difference  between  a  wrong  rate  and  a  right  one,  which  the 
complainant  or  parties  paying  the  rate  might  finally  recover;  communities 
may  have  been  irreparably  injured  by  being  even  temporarily  deprived  of 
natural  advantages  to  which  they  are  rightfully  entitled ;  industries  might 
be  ruined,  a  man  driven  out  of  business,  and  the  recovery  of  the  unreason- 
able excess  would  then  be  small  solace.  Many,  and  in  fact  the  majority,  of 
those  who  are  really  injured  by  an  unjust,  unreasonable  or  discriminatory 
rate,  could  not  secure  even  the  scanty  benefit  of  a  return  of  the  excess  over  a 
fair  charge.  This  emphasizes  the  great  injustice  of  prolonging  in  effect  a  rate 
which  has  been  decided  to  be  unreasonable,  and  to  my  mind  it  is  the  most 
important  and  conclusive  reason  of  all. 

The  farmer  generally  sells  his  grain  to  an  elevator  concern,  and  the  price 
paid  is  on  the  basis  of  the  current  freight  rate;  the  stock  grower  frequently 
sells  his  stock  to  a  regular  buyer,  who  adjusts  his  price  to  the  freight  charge 
then  in  effect  to  market.  The  only  one  who  would  have  any  standing  in 
court  to  recover  the  excess  over  a  reasonable  rate  would  be  the  party 
who  paid  the  freight,  and  under  such  conditions  he  is  not  really  injured, 
and  it  is  doubtful  whether  even  he  could  support  any  claim  for  recovery. 
Thus  it  might  and  probably  would  result  that  no  injured  party  could  recover. 
Broadly  speaking,  the  producers  and  consumers  are  the  real  sufferers  from 
unreasonable  and  discriminatory  rates,  and  generally  they  are  not  in  posi- 
tion to  recover  any  unjust  excess  because  they  do  not  actually  pay  the 
freight  charges. 

For  these  reasons,  if  any  remedy  is  to  be  afforded  the  public,  it  should 
be  prompt,  so  that  the  continuance  of  any  unjust  or  unreasonable  rate  may 
not  inflict  greater  damage.  Justice  delayed  is  too  often  justice  denied.  It 
should  also  be  inexpensive  because  the  small  shippers — those  whose  rights 
are  most  likely  to  be  infringed  upon — are  not  able  to  carry  on  costly  litiga- 
tion. We  must  rely  upon  some  impartial  tribunal  to  do  justice,  and  why  not 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  185 

upon  the  interstate  commerce  commission,  which  the  supreme  court  has  said 
is  more  competent  in  such  matters  than  the  courts? 

The  United  States  senate  committee  on  interstate  commerce  recently 
heard  a  vast  amount  of  testimony  relative  to  railroad  regulation,  and  there 
has  just  been  issued  by  the  public  printer  five  large  volumes  containing  it. 
Any  one  familiar  with  the  questions  involved  will  find  in  these  volumes 
many  gross  misrepresentations  of  our  position,  many  false  premises  upon 
which  the  railroads  have  constructed  ingenious  objections  to  even  any  legis- 
lation, many  subterfuges  by  which  they  have  attempted  to  befog  the  real  issue 
and  delude  the  public,  and  all  seemingly  designed  to  furnish  the  senate 
committee,  or  at  least  such  of  them  as  desire  it,  some  shadow  of  an  excuse 
for  not  performing  a  public  duty.  Certainly  the  report  indicates  that  the 
railroads  took  full  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  so  accommodatingly  ten- 
dered them,  by  producing  a  large  number  of  officials  who  reiterated  every 
conceivable  sort  of  objection  tending  to  show  that  no  legislation  was  needed. 
To  the  most  important  of  their  contentions  I  will  briefly  refer. 

The  railrods  persistently  assert  that  we  want  the  commission  to  revise 
and  fix  all  the  rates  in  the  United  States,  and  to  take  the  rate  making  power 
entirely  out  of  their  hands.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  not  heard  of  any  one 
even  suggesting  that  the  commission  should  be  given  power  to  fix  a  rate  in 
the  first  instance,  or  at  any  time  except  upon  complaint  and  after  full  investi- 
gation. 

They  say  that  the  granting  of  any  power  to  a  commission  to  correct  an 
unjust  rate  would  be  unconstitutional.  Yet  the  courts  have  repeatedly  held 
that  congress  has  the  right  to  delegate  such  authority  to  a  commission  or 
other  inferior  body. 

One  noted  railroad  attorney  became  hysterical  with  the  fear  that  if 
the  commission  were  given  authority  to  revise  a  rate,  it  would  have  to  estab- 
lish uniform  mileage  rates  all  over  this  country,  and  this  would  so  disturb 
our  internal  commerce  as  to  cause  a  panic.  The  substance  of  the  railroad 
contention  on  this  point  is  that  because  the  constitution  prohibits  congress 
from  giving  preferences  to  one  port,  that  therefore  if  the  commission  makes 
a  rate  it  must  make  it  on  a  mileage  basis,  while  if  the  carrier  makes  the  rate, 
it  need  not  do  so  Reduced  to  its  last  absurdity  such  reasoning  leads  to  this 
— that  a  railroad,  created  by  law,  might  violate  a  constitutional  provision, 
while  a  commission  created  by  the  same  law-making  body  could  not.  The 
attorney  general  of  the  United  States,  however,  promptly  dispelled  this  illu- 
sion by  a  very  able  opinion  to  the  contrary. 

Another  favorite  argument  of  the  railroad  is  that  this  great  and 
dangerous  power  ought  not  to  be  lodged  in  the  hands  of  any  tribunal  of  five 
men,  because,  first,  it  would  be  liable  to  abuse,  and  second,  no  body  of  men 
could  justly  and  fairly  exercise  such  authority,  and  if  they  could,  then  the 
public  ought  not  to  trust  them,  but  should  be  content  to  rely  upon  the  fair- 
ness of  the  railroads,  whose  interests  are  so  dependent  upon  the  prosperity 
of  their  patrons  that  this  mutuality  would  automatically  prevent  unreason- 
able rates.  In  other  words,  this  power  over  the  destiny  of  individuals,  indus- 
tries and  communities  ought  to  be  left  undisturbed  in  the  hands  of  the  rail- 
roads, and  they  should  be  permitted  to  make  rates  with  reference  only  to 
their  conception  of  the  welfare  of  the  territory  they  serve,  and  their  view  of 
how  much  they  should  earn. 

The  mere  statement  of  this  objection  furnishes  abundant  reason  why 
adequate  authority  should  be  conferred  upon  a  proper  tribunal.  If  the  power 
over  rates  is  so  dangerous  and  liable  to  abuse,  it  ought  not  to  be  left  unre- 
strained to  the  judgment  or  disposition  of  the  railroads  who  are  in  a  posi- 
tion to  profit  by  such  abuse.  With  equal  reason  we  might  urge  that  in  case 
of  dispute  the  shipper  be  given  the  power  to  name  the  rate  he  will  pay. 

Granting  that  the  interest  of  railroads  and  shippers  is  reasonably  identi- 
cal, it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  reasonable  rates  will  always  result,  for 
we  must  remember  that  the  railroads  are  officered  by  ambitious  men  employed 


186  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

to  get  the  best  results,  and  as  they  are  human,  it  is  probable  they  would  be 
tempted  to  exact  more  than  their  share  of  the  prosperity,  and  the  public  is 
without  any  adequate  remedy. 

The  volume  of  traffic  moving  between  states  is  vastly  greater  than  the 
traffic  transported  wholly  within  states.  Yet  in  nearly  every  state  a  railway 
commission  has  been  created,  and  many  of  these  state  commissions  have 
established  in  the  first  instance  schedules  of  maximum  rates,  and  they  all 
exercise  more  comprehensive  and  absolute  power  than  is  intended  to  be 
granted  to  the  interstate  commerce  commission.  The  action  of  the  various 
state  commissions  has  not  ruined  the  railroads,  nor  the  various  local  indus- 
tries or  communities  affected;  on  the  contrary,  the  results  from  the  exercise 
of  their  power  has  proven  highly  beneficial. 

The  industrial  commission,  after  spending  a  year  investigating  this 
question,  recommended  that  the  interstate  commerce  commission  be  given 
power  upon  complaint  and  full  hearing,  to  fix  a  rate. 

Railroads  are  a  monoply ;  you  must  use  them  and  must  pay  their 
charges.  The  centralization  of  the  railroads  of  this  country  into  large  sys- 
tems dominated  by  a  few  financial  interests  has  so  seriously  restrained  com- 
petition that  to  a  large  extent  it  does  not  exist.  Having  almost  eliminated 
this  safeguard,  these  corporations  now  audaciously  insist  that  they  shall  be 
he  sole  arbiters  of  what  they  shall  charge,  and  complacently  contend  that 
the  public  can  safely  rely  upon  their  generosity  and  fairness  rather  than 
upon  a  disinterested  tribunal  of  the  government. 

It  is  preposterously  incredible  that  any  one  could  honestly  believe  that 
the  power  over  rates  could  possibly  be  abused  as  much  by  the  government,  as 
it  would  be  if  left  undisturbed  in  the  hands  of  a  few  traffic  officials,  subject 
largely  to  the  insatiable  appetite  of  the  combined  corporate  wealth. 

They  further  assert  that  the  adjustment  of  rates  in  this  country  is  so 
intricate  and  complex  that  none  but  experienced  traffic  men  are  capable  of 
comprehending  it,  and  that  even  a  commission  possesing  special  expert 
knowledge  and  qualifications,  and  having  access  to  complete  statistical  infor- 
mation, after  a  careful  review  of  all  the  facts  presented  by  both  sides,  would 
be  unable  to  fairly  decide  what  a  rate  should  be. 

They  are  willing,  however  to  leave  such  questions  to  the  courts,  proba- 
bly because  the  courts  are  less  qualified  to  pass  upon  them  than  a  commis- 
sion, and  likely,  also,  because  the  courts  cannot  fix  a  rate. 

Railroad  rates  are  not  intangible  things,  nor  are  they  so  complex  that 
their  basis  cannot  be  intelligently  explained  if  the  railroads  are  so  disposed. 
Therefore,  if  their  charges  are  just  and  equitable  these  very  clever  railroad 
traffic  men  and  attorneys,  with  all  the  fundamental  data  at  their  disposal, 
ought  to  be  able  to  satisfactorily  demonstrate  that  fact  to  an  expert  tribunal, 
and  consequently  they  should  not  fear  a  thorough  investigation  of  any  rate 
complained  of. 

Some  claim  that  the  ability  to  make  rates  requires  a  special  kind  of 
mentality  which  the  railroad  traffic  men  peculiarly  possess.  It  may  be  defined 
as  an  acquired  aptitude  or  propensity  to  charge  all  that  the  traffic  will  bear 
and  yet  move,  occasionally  tempered  with  the  selfish  desire  to  increase  their 
tonnage  by  equalizing  at  some  or  all  other  points  the  natural  advantages  of 
any  particular  locality.  The  boasted  experience  of  the  traffic  officials  of  the 
railroads,  while  it  doubtless  does  enable  them  to  make  such  rates  as  they 
believe  will  net  their  companies  the  most  money,  yet  it  does  not  especially 
qualify  them  to  make  reasonable  rates  on  the  basis  announced  by  the  superior 
court  in  the  Nebraska  rate  case.  There  may  be  a  wide  line  of  demarcation 
between  rates  made  on  the  basis  of  what  the  traffic  ought  to  stand  or  to 
secure  the  most  money  and  those  reasonable  rates  which  the  common  law 
says  shall  be  charged. 

The  railroads  predict  dire  commercial  consequences  will  attend  the 
granting  to  the  commission  of  adequate  power.  They  seemingly  forget  the 
beneficial  results  following  the  passage  of  the  original  act  in  1887,  which 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  187 

was  then  intended,  and  for  nine  years  was  supposed  to  confer  the  same 
power  now  proposed  to  grant  them,  namely,  the  simple  power  to  enforce  the 
prohibitive  provisions  requiring  that  rates  be  just,  fair  and  reasonable.  They 
insist  that  the  present  laws  are  amply  sufficient,  if  enforced,  yet  they  protest 
that  if  a  remedy  is  provided  so  that  the  present  laws  can  be  enforced  they 
will  be  ruined. 

They  conjure  with  the  phrases  "confiscation  of  property"  and  "receiver- 
ships," and  are  especially  solicitous  about  the  income  of  their  small  stock- 
holders and  apprehensive  of  the  welfare  of  their  employes  whose  wages  they 
might  be  unwillingly  forced  to  reduce.  Still  they  well  know  the  protection 
afforded  by  the  courts  if  rates  should  be  fixed  too  low  to  afford  a  reasonable 
compensation.  Courts  have  ample  power  to  prevent  such  abuse;  their 
power  cannot  be  taken  away  and  it  needs  no  enlargement.  And,  besides,  no 
one  is  demanding  or  expecting  a  wholesale  reduction  in  rates.  During  the 
past  five  years  nearly  every  complaint  filed  before  the  interstate  commerce 
commission  has  been  against  rates  that  had  been  advanced  from  a  lower 
basis  previously  in  effect  for  many  ears.  If  we  are  to  believe  the  tax  returns 
of  these  railroads,  there  were  no  legitimate  reasons  for  such  advances,  and 
an  examination  of  the  financial  condition  of  their  properties  further  con- 
firms this.  A  very  able  railroad  president,  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  great 
trans-continental  lines,  has  said  that  his  railroad  could  not  with  a  good  face 
earn  more  than  7  per  cent  on  its  investment.  Nevertheless,  a  careful  analysis 
of  the  earnings  of  all  the  great  railroad  systems  of  this  country  for  the  past 
six  years  indicates,  beyond  successful  dispute,  that  every  one  of  them  has 
and  is  earning  more  than  7  per  cent  on  its  investment,  and  many  of  them 
double  that  amount. 

It  is  highly  improbable  that  any  governmental  body,  appointed  to  admin- 
ister equal  justice  between  the  carriers  and  the  public,  would  exercise  their 
power  without  due  consideration  of  the  interests  of  both  parties,  or  that  they 
would  restrict  the  revenues  of  the  carriers  so  as  not  to  afford  a  reasonable 
return,  or  that  their  action  would  necessitate  a  reduction  in  the  wages  of 
employes.  These  important  factors  ought  always  be  considered  in  the  fixing 
of  reasonable  rates,  and  the  railroads  have  no  precedent  for  insinuating  they 
would  be  ignored. 

They  loudly  proclaim  that  the  payment  of  rebates  was  the  chief  evil 
in  the  transportation  situation  and  that  the  Elkins  law  of  1903,  conceived 
and  promoted  by  the  railroads,  cured  that  defect.  Judging  from  the  char- 
acter of  the  complaints  filed  before  the  interstate  commerce  commission,  one 
would  think  this  was  a  minor  rather  than  the  chief  evil.  That  law  deals 
wholly  with  discriminations  between  individuals  by  means  of  rebates  or  con- 
cessions from  the  published  rate  or  other  devices ;  it  does  not  pretend  to 
furnish  a  remedy  to  correct  a  rate  which  is  wrong  by  making  it  right,  and 
that  is  a  far  more  important  question.  The  object  of  the  Elkins  law  was 
commendable.  The  abuses  it  corrected,  as  well  as  other  greater  evils,  had 
been  repeatedly  condemned  by  the  interstate  commerce  commission  and  by 
many  commercial  organizations  throughout  the  country.  Still  the  important 
result  of  this  Elkins  law,  from  a  railroad  standpoint,  was  that  it  enabled  the 
railroads  to  retain  in  their  treasuries  those  large  amounts  of  money  which 
they  had  previously  paid  to  favored  shippers,  and  this  probably  accounts  for 
the  ease  and  celerity  with  which  this  legislation  was  enacted. 

On  every  occasion  the  railroads  reiterate  that  such  a  thing  as  unreason- 
able rates  as  a  whole  does  not  exist  in  this  country.  The  only  evidence  they 
submit  in  support  of  that  statement  is  a  comparison  of  the  average  returns 
per  ton  per  mile  in  this  and  other  countries.  If  their  statement  is  correct  it 
admits  of  far  more  convincing  proof  from  the  actual  results  of  operation 
based  upon  the  amount  of  their  investment,  and  such  proof  has  not  been 
presented.  The  comparison  they  furnish  is  worse  than  misleading,  because, 
mainly,  of  the  long  distances  traffic  is  handled  in  this  country,  and  the  much 
shorter  distances  it  moves  in  European  countries,  and  many  other  dissimilar 


188  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

circumstances  and  conditions,  such  as  the  kind  and  density  of  the  traffic,  char- 
acter of  service,  the  amount  of  investment,  all  of  which  obviously  make  a 
fair  comparison  impossible.  I  have  not  heard  the  railroads  claim  that  they 
earn  net  any  less  per  mile  of  line  than  the  average  of  European  railways 
they  are  so  fond  of  citing  as  examples. 

Nor  is  the  fact  that  the  rate  per  ton  per  mile  in  this  country  may  have 
decreased  in  recent  years  any  indication  that  the  actual  rates  have  been 
lowered.  Applied  to  present  conditions,  it  means  that  a  larger  volume  of 
low-classed  commodities  or  low-rate  traffic  was  handled  than  in  previous 
years,  or  that  the  average  distance  each  ton  of  freight  is  moved  has  increased. 
And  for  that  reason  this  seemingly  anomalous  condition  could  prevail :  that 
all  rates  might  be  advanced  10  per  cent,  and  the  resultant  average  rate  per 
ton  per  mile  remain  unchanged  or  even  decrease.  Therefore,  comparisons  of 
such  statistics  are  manifestly  of  no  value.  They  insist  that  their  rates  are 
not  too  high,  yet  they  confess  to  the  contrary  by  assuming  that  a  commis- 
sion will  on  investigation  reduce  them. 

It  is  charged  that  the  commission  will  change  the  geography  of  the 
country,  impair  rights  and  destroy  wealth  that  has  been  created  by  individual 
activity,  by  disturbing  a  relation  of  rates  which  has  long  existed.  Such  an 
assumption  is  instructive.  Is  it  meant  that  the  relation  of  rates  has  been 
wrong?  If  right,  what  is  to  prevent  the  commission  from  perceiving  it? 

And,  finally,  the  railroads  claim  there  is  no  general  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  public  for  this  legislation,  and  that  the  present  agitation  has  been 
inspired  by  the  interstate  commerce  commission,  who  are  afflicted  with  an 
unquenchable  thirst  for  power.  The  livestock  interests  of  this  trans-Missis- 
sippi region,  representing  a  volume  of  traffic  almost  equaling  that  of  any 
single  commodity  and  exceeding  in  revenue  every  other  class  of  freight,  have 
been  continually  asking  for  this  legislation  for  six  years ;  so  have  over  400 
various  state  and  national  organizations.  To  meet  this  mythical  foe,  to 
answer  this  demand  which  they  claim  is  non-existent,  the  railroads  are 
flooding  the  country  with  their  literature  through  a  subsidized  press,  and 
have  inaugurated  an  expensive  educational  campaign  to  show  that  the  ship- 
pers have  no  real  grievance,  for  all  of  which  the  producers  and  consumers 
are  paying.  If  the  shippers  are  all  satisfied,  what  have  the  railroads  to  fear, 
and  who  would  make  any  complaint? 

Some  commercial  organizations  are  oppo.sed  to  granting  the  commis- 
sion this  further  power.  The  interest  of  these  organizations  at  the  various 
trade  centers  lies  almost  entirely  in  the  relative  equality  of  rates,  the  rea- 
sonableness per  se  being  a  minor  factor,  while  the  interest  of  the  producers 
and  consumers  leads  them  to  a  step  farther  and  goes  to  the  very  essence  of 
this  question ;  they  want  rates  that  are  not  only  relatively  equal,  but  that  are 
inherently  reasonable.  Rates  may  be  so  adjusted,  whether  fairly  or  not,  so  as 
to  satisfy  the  demands  of  particular  communities  or  industries,  and  at  the 
same  time  be  unreasonably  high  or  unreasonably  low,  eithe!  of  which  wo  aid 
be  reprehensible.  The  mere  fact  that  some  are  satisfied  with  them  does  not 
argue  that  all  rates  are  right,  or  that  the  commission  should  not  be  given 
adequate  power.  Doubtless  many  communities,  industries  and  individuals 
are  entirely  contented  with  their  rates,  but  that  is  not  a  sufficient  reason  for 
denying  to  others  the  privilege,  if  they  desire  it,  of  having  their  rates 
reviewed  by  an  impartial  tribunal  of  the  government. 

For  six  years  the  livestock  industry  has  been  importuning  congress  for 
precisely  the  same  legislation  that  President  Roosevelt  says  is  now  most 
needed.  We  will  continue  to  demand  it,  and  if  action  on  our  fair  and  rea- 
sonable request  is  longer  deferred,  because  of  corporate  influence,  then  will 
the  people  understand  that  such  corporate  power  is  too  great  to  go  unre- 
strained, and  more  radical  measures  will  be  the  inevitable  result ;  for  we 
know  how  the  voters  will  decide  as  between  limited  governmental  control  of 
railways  on  the  one  hand  and  the  absolute  control  of  the  government,  by  the 
railways  on  the  other. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  189 

The  American  Stock  Growers'  Association,  of  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  be  secretary,  considers  our  international  trade  relations  and  the  federal 
regulation  of  interstate  railroad  rates  to  be  the  two  most  vital  issues  con- 
fronting the  public  today.  This  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  at 
its  last  sesson,  endorsed  the  proposition  to  grant  adequate  power  to  the 
interstate  commerce  commission,  and  I  hope  it  will  again  forcibly  express  its 
opinion  by  suitable  action.  May  I  hope,  further,  that  this  problem  of  inter- 
national trade  relations,  sometimes  called  "reciprocity,"  will  also  receive  your 
endorsement  and  support? 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  We  will  now  have  a  paper  by  Henry  T. 
Clarke,  Omaha,  Neb.,  President  of  the  Missouri  River  Improvement 
Association. 

MR.  CLARKE  said : 

THE  DUTY  OF  THE  GENERAL  GOVERNMENT  TO  IMPROVE  THE 
MISSOURI  RIVER  AND  OTHER  WATERWAYS  AND  PORTS. 

Mr.  President  and  Members  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Con- 
gress— It  is  a  pleasing  event  which  gathers  us  in  this  beautiful  Rose  City  of 
Portland  to  contribute  to  the  celebration  of  the  advent  of  the  two  hardy 
pioneer  men  who  came  and  camped  here  one  hundred  years  ago.  It  is  inspir- 
ing, too,  that  we  have  our  part  in  the  material  development  of  this  great 
trans-Mississippi  empire  opened  to  the  world  by  those  intrepid  explorers, 
Lewis  and  Clark.  This  great  country,  composed  of  fourteen  states  and  four 
territories,  with  its  face  toward  the  Orient,  the  Mecca  of  coming  develop- 
ment, presents  a  magic  field  for  our  efforts.  In  the  multitude  of  measures 
demanding  our  attention,  no  other  appeals  to  us  with  such  primary  neces- 
sity and  force  as  the  improvement  of  our  rivers,  harbors  and  waterways. 

During  the  fourteenth  annual  convention  of  this  Congress  at  Seattle, 
in  1903,  I  presented  a  resolution  asking  the  aid  of  this  body  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Missouri  river  by  straightening  the  river  where  practical,  pro- 
tect the  banks  from  erosions,  and  to  confine  and  deepen  its  channel  for  navi- 
gation and  commerce.  The  resolution  received  unanimous  endorsement. 
Some  months  later  I  received  a  communication  from  your  honorable  secre- 
tary inquiring  what,  if  anything,  had  been  done  with  reference  to  carrying 
out  the  recommendation  contained  in  my  resolution,  as  the  congressional  com- 
mittee of  the  Congress  were  preparing  to  go  to  Washington  to  present  the 
work  and  recommendations  to  the  committees  of  the  national  congress. 
Feeling  my  responsibility  as  the  mover  of  the  resolution,  I  determined  to  take 
the  initiative  in  arousing  our  people  to  active  effort  in  its  behalf.  I  interested 
some  representative  people  of  my  home  city — Omaha,  Neb., — and  its  sister 
city  across  the  Missouri  river,  that  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  The  magic  city 
of  South  Omaha,  one  of  the  great  packing  centers,  was  called  upon.  The 
result  was  the  calling  of  a  convention  which  met  in  the  city  of  Omaha 
November  5,  1903.  There  were  representatives  present  from  the  states  of 
Missouri,  Iowa,  South  Dakota  and  Nebraska.  An  association  was  formed 
under  the  name  of  the  Missouri  River'  Improvement  Association,  and  I  had 
the  honor  of  being  chosen  its  president.  It  was  determined  to  present  the 
importance  of  the  improvement  of  this  great  river  to  the  rivers  and  harbors 
committees  of  the  national  congress.  It  was  therefore  arranged  for  a  repre- 
sentative delegation  to  meet  in  the  city  of  Washington  on  January  18,  1904. 
Representative  delegations  from  the  Missouri,  and  the  upper  and  lower  Mis- 
sissippi river  assembled  in  Washington  at  the  date  named.  The  lower  Mis- 
sissippi delegation  arrived  several  days  after  the  time  selected.  It  was  soon 
learned  that  owing  to  the  condition  of  the  treasury  and  the  general  harbor 


190  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

and  improvement  work,  that  the  house  committee  had  determined  to  rec- 
ommend only  a  small  appropriation  for  this  improvement.  Our  commit- 
tees, however,  were  anxious  to  present  the  claims  of  their  respective  sections 
to  the  house  committee,  and  were  given  hearing  from  day  to  day.  The 
members  of  the  lower  Mississippi  section  pleaded  earnestly  for  the  extension 
of  the  levee  system  for  the  permanent  protection  of  the  lands  in  the  delta  of 
that  great  river.  They  asked  for  some  twelve  million  dollars  for  permanent 
levees,  that  they  might  reclaim  some  ten  million  acres  of  the  finest  cotton 
lands  in  the  world,  making  same  available  for  cultivation  and  providing 
homes  for  great  numbers  of  the  colored  people  of  the  south.  The  plan 
being  to  subdivide  portions  of  the  lands  into  forty  and  eighty-acre  farms  or 
plantations,  to  be  apportioned  to  each  householder.  The  manufacturing  inter- 
ests of  New  England  favored  this  measure,  believing  that  this  would  tend 
to  increase  the  acreage  of  cotton-producing  lands  that  they  might  have  a 
yield  each  year  of  fifteen  million  bales,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
million  dollars,  instead  of  ten  million  bales,  as  now  produced  at  the  same 
cost,  thus  enabling  them  to  operate  their  mills  at  a  reasonable  profit.  Plead- 
ing that  England  and  European  countries  were  spending  annually  large  sums 
of  money  in  an  effort  to  increase  the  home  production  of  cotton  in  their 
dependencies  as  against  our  natural  product,  while  we  seemed  indifferent  to 
our  advantages  in  the  natural  cotton-producing  country  of  the  world. 

The  upper  Mississippi  people  came  asking  for  fifteen  millions  for  a  six- 
foot  channel  from  St.  Paul  to  St.  Louis,  and  for  protection  of  the  banks 
along  the  low  lands.  Colonel  Vance,  president  of  the  Ohio  River  Improve- 
ment Association,  came  urging  a  seven-foot  channel  from  Pittsburg  to  Cairo. 
The  Cumberland  of  Tennessee,  the  Brazos  of  Texas,  and  many  other  water- 
ways, together  with  ports,  harbors,  bays  and  inlets  on  the  great  lakes,  the 
gulf,  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  were  urging  their  claims  for  needed 
improvement. 

I  listened  with  much  interest  to  the  presentations  and  arguments  before 
the  committee,  as  they  proceeded  day  after  day,  and  could  form  some  little 
idea  as  to  the  magnitude  of  the  labors  of  Chairman  Burton  and  the  mem- 
bers of  his  committee.  I  could  appreciate  their  difficulty  in  trying  to  provide 
for  the  wants  and  necessities  of  the  many  different  sections.  My  experience 
convinces  me  that  the  river  and  harbor  committee  of  congress  is  doing  all 
things  possible  for  the  betterment  of  our  waterways  with  the  means  at  their 
command,  and  the  system  under  which  the  work  is  carried  on. 

It  is  very  probable  that  the  Missouri  river  presents  a  forcible  object 
lesson  in  the  present  condition  of  many  of  our  important  rivers  at  this  time. 
This  mighty  river,  threading  its  way  through  a  magnificent  valley  of  rich  allu- 
vial lands  a  length  of  2,280  miles  from  its  mouth  near  St.  Louis  to  its  head 
waters  within  the  borders  of  Montana.  Navigation  is  almost  wholly  sus- 
pended upon  it ;  it  is  left  to  its  own  abandon  waste,  cutting  its  channel  at  its 
own  sweet  will,  washing  away  the  rich  farm  lands  with  their  wealth  of  wheat, 
rye,  oats,  corn,  hay  and  grass,  causing  loss  and  destruction  to  the  extent  of 
millions  of  dollars  every  year,  and  destroying  the  homes,  energies  and  accumu- 
lations of  one  or  two  generations  of  many  of  our  people.  My  own  obser- 
vation testifies  to  the  loss  of  thousands  of  acres  of  lands  as  rich  as  the  valley 
of  the  Nile,  extending  a  distance  of  twenty-one  miles  in  Mills  county,  Iowa, 
and  opposite  my  early  home  at  Belleyue,  Neb.,  in  1855  and  on,  the  loss  of 
hundreds  of  acres  of  my  own  on  the  Nebraska  side,  caused  by  the  shifting 
channel  of  the  river. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  191 

The  following  data  compiled  by  Mr.  Seth  Dean,  civil  engineer  and  sur- 
veyor of  the  County  of  Mills,  Iowa,  will  illustrate  conditions  along  this 
river : 

Total  length  of  the  river  front,  approximately 21  miles 

Total  area  of  land  washed  away  since  1851 3,650  acres 

Toal  area  of  accretion  formed 400  acres 

Total  area  of  loss  for  taxation  and  agricultural  use. .  33,160  acres 
Average  value  of  farm  lands  of  Mills  county  at  present. $80  per  acre 
Average  value  of  farm  lands  on  river  bottom  within 

probable  zone  of  future  river  action $50  per  acre 

Average  value   of  lands  immediately    adjoining    river 

and  in  line  of  present  river  cutting  may  be $20  per  acre 

Approximate     area     within    zone    of    probable    river 

action  if  no  protection  is  furnished 9,000  acres 

Difference  between  $50  and  $80  is  $30    per  acre ;    on 

9,000  acres  loss  to  the  county  for  agricultural  and 

taxation  purposes $270,000 

Approximate  area  washed  away  during  year,  July  1, 

1904,  to  July  1,  1905 300  acres 

Most  of  this  was  No.  1  farm  land  in  cultivation,  and  if 

not  in  the  river  zone  would  have  been  sold  for  $80 

per  acre.     Assume  it  to  have  been  worth  $40  per 

acre,  the  loss  to  the  owners $120,000 

The  protection  to  the  lands  by  confining  the  river  within  its  natural 
banks,  and  preventing  this  immense  annual  loss,  would  justify  the  general 
government  in  making  these  improvements.  But  it  is  one  of  the  great  nat- 
ural waterways  of  this  country.  It  is  nature's  great  highway  of  commerce. 
It  was  before  the  area  of  railroads  the  thoroughfare  of  commerce,  counting 
in  its  system  that  portion  known  as  the  Mississippi  from  about  St.  Louis  to 
the  gulf,  for  all  products  and  supplies  for  the  Mississippi  valley  and  the 
northwest.  Great  side-wheel  steamers,  loaded  to  their  guards,  plied  between 
St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans  in  the  winter,  and  between  St.  Louis,  Kansas 
City,  St.  Joseph,  Omaha,  Sioux  City  and  Fort  Benton  in  summer.  Fewer 
snags,  no  rapids,  no  levees,  no  dredging,  the  current  will  deepen  channel  by 
scouring  with  the  little  assistance  in  caring  for  banks,  making  channel  of 
this  great  waterway  for  2,280  miles  better  from  year  to  year. 

There  is  no  reason  why  this  commerce  should  not  be  restored.  The 
subject  of  railroad  control  and  the  equalizing  and  adjusting  of  freight  rates 
is  receiving  great  interest  and  discussion  at  this  time.  The  present  adminis- 
tration urged  upon  congress  the  necessity  of  some  action  looking  to  a 
remedy  for  these  inequalities.  There  is  a  certain  and  sure  way  within  the 
province  of  the  people  to  supply  the  remedy  and  provide  free  and  untram- 
meled  means  of  transportation  by  improving  their  waterways  and  harbors 
and  maintaining  them  open  to  navigation.  It  is  demonstrated  in  all  parts 
of  the  country  that  wherever  there  is  open  water  communication  it  is  an 
absolute  and  sure  leveler  of  freight  and  passenger  rates.  To  accomplish 
this  we  must  have  unity  of  action  by  all  interests  for  this  improvement 
throughout  the  United  States.  This  Congress  should  take  the  initiative  to 
provide,  if  necessary,  a  committee  or  commission  composed  of  one  repre- 
sentative or  more  for  every  important  waterway  improvement:  within  its 
limit,  and  then,  reaching  across  the  border  of  the  Mississippi,  combine  with 
the  interests  of  the  east,  south  and  middle  west  for  this  all  important  inter- 
nal betterment.  This  improvement  can  only  be  accomplished  through  the  na- 
tional government.  The  first  effort  must  be  in  providing  for  the  ways  and 
means  for  carrying  on  the  work ;  the  second  must  be  for  the  proper  direction 
and  supervision  in  its  expenditure,  providing  such  safeguards  as  will  insure 
economy,  and  its  application  where  beneficial  results  will  be  obtained.  With 


192  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

no  criticism  for  the  past,  there  must  be  a  guarantee  that  the  moneys  appro- 
priated will  be  properly  expended,  and  the  work  done  under  the  most  modern, 
effective  and  conservative  methods.  It  is  my  opinion,  after  mature  consid- 
eration, that  this  improvement  should  be  made  upon  a  broad  scale,  following 
possibly  the  plan  of  the  building  of  the  Panama  canal.  I  should  advocate  the 
issuing  of  2  per  cent  government  bonds  which  bear  a  premium  to  the  amount 
of  at  least  two  hundred  million  dollars  for  this  work.  Vast  sums  of  money 
in  the  aggregate  have  been  expended  on  our  rivers  and  harbors,  much  of  it  to 
a  disadvantage,  by  reason  of  limited  and  inadequate  amounts,  in  proportion 
to  the  work  to  be  accomplished.  This  has  led  to  waste  and  dscouragement. 
Surer  results  can  be  secured  by  placing  the  improvement  upon  a  scale  com- 
prehensive enough  to  guarantee  its  accomplishment.  We  may  encounter 
opposition  and  the  prejudice  sometimes  existing  against  the  issuance  of  bonds, 
or  creating  any  indebtedness,  but  to  my  mind  this  is  the  only  means  of  reach- 
ing the  ends  desired,  and  is  based  upon  the  experience  of  the  past,  as  well 
as  the  statements  of  Webster  and  other  of  our  statesmen  in  the  formative  and 
early  developing  period  of  our  country.  The  states  and  cities  and  local  dis- 
tricts cannot  accomplish  this  improvement.  It  is  alone  for  the  national  gov- 
ernment. Therefore,  it  is  along  this  line  that  we  must  proceed.  We  must 
make  it  as  broad  and  national  as  the  country  itself.  Portland,  Ore.,  must 
clasp  the  hand  of  Portland,  Me.  The  interests  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific 
must  mingle  as  their  waters  will  through  the  canal  across  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  The  cities  of  the  unsalted  seas  must  unite  with  their  neighbors  on 
the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi,  the  Missouri,  the  Columbia,  and  the  lesser  tributa- 
ries which  are  Nature's  arteries  carrying  the  life  blood  of  commerce  of  this 
great  country  to  the  markets  of  the  world.  Our  senators  and  congressmen 
are  ready  and  anxious  to  do  the  will  of  their  constituents.  It  is  the  great 
work  of  this  Congress  to  educate  a  sentiment  which  shall  demand  this 
improvement.  Talk  is  essential,  action  is  absolutely  necessary.  Therefore, 
I  urge  that  strong  resolutions  be  adopted  by  this  Congress,  that  our  delega- 
tions in  congress  be  informed  of  our  action  and  impressed  with  its  import- 
ance. And  in  order  that  its  necessities  be  emphasized,  a  commission  charged 
solely  with  this  improvement  be  selected  -to  meet  in  Washington  during  the 
coming  session  of  congress,  this  committee  to  be  composed  of  at  least  two 
from  each  improvement  interested,  to  be  named  by  such  interests,  and  such 
others  as  this  Congress,  through  its  president,  may  select. 

It  has  been  my  purpose  to  point  out  to  you  the  conditions  and  suggest  a 
remedy.  I  felt  it  useless  to  touch  upon  the  necessity  and  the  direct  benefits 
to  our  people  by  the  improvement  of  our  waterways.  Our  people,  I  am  sure, 
recognize  the  importance  of  these  improvements.  The  question  that  con- 
cerns them  most  is  how  it  may  be  accomplished.  What  we  need  is  strong, 
determined,  united  action,  beginning  now,  the  most  opportune  time  in  all  our 
history.  The  railways  take  care  of  themselves;  the  waterways  need  our 
attention.  (Applause.) 

Adjourned  until  7  :30  P.  M. 


AUDITORIUM,  LEWIS  AND  CLARK  EXPOSITION, 
EVENING  SESSION,  7 :30  P.  M. 

VICE-PRESIDENT,  JOHN  HENRY  SMITH,  in  the  chair. 

On  motion  duly  seconded,  it  was  voted  to  adopt  a  further  sup- 
plementary report  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions,  favoring  a  pref- 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  193 

erential  in  naval  construction  for  the  ship  builders  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  introduced  by  Mr.  Hibbs,  of  Seattle. 

On  motion  of  Judge  Raker,  duly  seconded,  after  considerable 
discussion,  it  was  voted  that  the  address  delivered  by  Dr.  Roland  D. 
Grant  be  published  in  pamphlet  form,  illustrated  by  his  photographs, 
in  order  that  it  might  be  distributed  over  the  United  States,  partic- 
ularly in  the  east  and  in  foreign  countries. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  next  thing  in  order  is  a  paper  by  Dr. 
James  Withycombe,  of  the  Oregon  Experimental  Station,  entitled, 
"Experiment  Stations  a  Factor  in  Commercial  Development." 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS:  I  have  Dr.  Withy  combe's  paper,  and  in 
his  absence,  he  requests  that  it  be  put  in  the  record  without  being 
read. 

On  motion,  it  was  so  ordered,  and  the  paper  herewith  follows: 

DR.  JAMES  WITHYCOMBE: 

EXPERIMENT   STATIONS  A  FACTOR  IN   COMMERCIAL  DEVEL- 
OPMENT. 

When  the  Creator  of  the  universe  uttered  the  mandate  to  the  progenitor 
of  the  human  race,  "In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,"  his  decree 
carried  with  it  by  implication  the  assurance  that  the  science  of  the  industry 
by  which  man  was  to  earn  a  livelihood  should  be  gradually  revealed  to  him. 
In  primitive  husbandry  there  was  little  need  of  science,  for  the  earth  volun- 
tarily yielded  its  fruits  in  such  abundance  as  to  supply  the  wants  of  all 
animated  nature.  But  with  time,  as  the  population  became  more  dense  and 
the  demand  for  food  greater,  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  received  attention. 
As  the  natural  corollary  of  a  dense  population  various  industries  sprang  into 
existence.  People  engaged  in  factories  and  other  urban  pursuits  were  made 
dependent  upon  the  industry  of  others  for  their  food;  thus  at  an  early  date 
the  products  of  the  soil  began  to  assume  a  commercial  aspect.  From  the  most 
primitive  methods  of  husbandry  by  an  inexorable  evolutionary  process,  step 
by  step,  through  the  modern  ages,  agriculture  has  attained  at  present  the 
indisputable  claim  of  being  the  master  science.  In  fact,  when  every  other 
science  shall  be  developed  to  its  limit,  the  field  of  agriculture  will  still  present 
a  boundless  opportunity  for  scientific  research  and  reward. 

Agriculture,  in  supplying  the  food  and  raiment  of  the  human  race,  con- 
tributes largely  to  the  commercial  activity  of  the  civilized  world.  When  we 
reflect  for  a  moment  on  the  almost  incomprehensible  aggregate  value  of  the 
products  of  the  farms  of  our  own  country,  which  for  the  year  1904  was 
nearly  five  billions  of  dollars,  it  becomes  readily  apparent  that  the  products 
of  our  farms  are  important  factors  in  the  avenues  of  commerce.  Thus  the 
products  of  the  farm,  garden  and  orchard  contribute  largely  to  our  national 
wealth.  Even  this  immense  sum  does  not  represent  the  possible  production 
of  wealth  from  our  farms.  Science,  supplemented  with  the  skill  and  indomit- 
able energy  which  characterize  our  people,  will  reclaim  millions  of  acres  of 
desert  land  and  make  these  infertile  plains  blossom  as  the  rose.  Then,  again, 
science  will  aid  the  farmer  in  increasing  the  productivity  of  his  holdings 
which  will  cause  even  greater  wealth  to  flow  through  the  channels  of  trade. 


194  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

The  agricultural  experiment  stations  are  lively  factors  in  the  promotions 
of  national  wealth.  Through  these  agencies  problems  in  agriculture  which 
were  hitherto  hazy  and  uncertain  have  been  made  clear  and  distinct.  These 
experimental  stations  employ  795  persons  in  the  work  of  administration  and 
research,  at  a  cost  of  about  one  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars  annually  to  the 
national  and  state  governments.  This  expenditure  is  a  mere  bagatelle  when 
compared  with  the  great  increase  of  our  agricultural  wealth  as  a  result  of  the 
endeavors  of  these  experiment  stations. 

The  Baboock  test,  a  station  product,  is  worth  more  to  modern  dairying 
and  indirectly  brings  to  commerce  an  annual  sum  greater  than  the  cost  of 
maintaining  all  of  the  experiment  stations  of  the  nation.  At  the  Minnesota 
station  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  breeding  of  a  special  race  of  wheat 
to  meet  the  climatic  and  soil  conditions  of  that  section  gave  an  increase 
yield  of  one  bushel  per  acre,  or  about  5  per  cent.  Thus  if  the  crop  of  the 
United  States  was  increased  at  this  ratio  it  would  represent  a  greater  annual 
value  of  about  $26,500,000.  In  the  states  of  Illinois  and  Iowa  corn  breeding 
investigations  conducted  by  their  experiment  stations,  have  resulted  in  the 
added  value  of  the  corn  crop  of  those  states  of  several  millions  of  dollars 
annually.  Example  after  example  can  be  given  of  increased  production  of 
various  farm  commodities,  representing  millions  of  dollars,  as  the  fruits  of 
scientific  research.  The  station  chemists,  by  laboratory  determinations,  have 
pointed  out  both  the  strength  and  weakness  of  soils  for  various  crops.  These 
determinations  have  enabled  the  scientist  to  suggest  remedies  for  increasing 
the  potentiality  of  the  soil.  The  soil  physicist  has  pointed  the  way  to  correct 
deficiencies  in  the  texture  of  the  soil.  The  agronomist,  by  means  of  rotation 
of  crops,  has  materially  increased  the  products  of  the  farm.  The  entomolo- 
gist, by  evolving  methods  for  the  control  of  injurious  insects  and  by  cultivat- 
ing the  useful,  has  saved  millions  to  the  husbandman.  Striking  examples 
are  the  control  of  the  codling  moth,  the  various  fruit  and  plant  aphids,  the 
San  Jose  scale  and  numerous  other  insect  pests,  thus  obviating  the  losses  of 
millions  to  the  orchardist.  In  the  cultivation  of  the  useful  type  we  have 
among  the  many  beneficial  economic  insects,  the  one  that  fertilizes  the  Smyrna 
fig,  which  enables  us  to  produce  this  valuable  fruit  on  a  commercial  scale. 
Then  there  is  the  imported  Guatemalan  ant,  which  is  expected  to  destroy 
the  boll  weevil  and  thus  save  millions  to  our  cotton  growers ;  the  ladybug  that 
destroys  the  scale,  and  numerous  other  predatory  insects  of  more  or  less  eco- 
nomic value. 

Economists  a  few  years  since  became  greatly  alarmed  over  the  pros- 
pective exhaustion  of  the  world's  nitrogen  supply  and  began  to  picture  the 
dire  distress  of  the  people  crying  for  bread.  Fortunately  science,  through 
agricultural  research,  discovered  that  certain  races  of  plants,  possessed  the 
power,  through  micro-organic  life,  to  utilize  atmospheric  nitrogen  and  thus 
dispelled  the  fear  that  famine  would  reign  over  the  land. 

In  recent  years  experimental  research  has  accomplished  much  for  the 
farmer  by  the  development  of  better  forage  plants,  cereals,  fibre  plants  and 
fruits.  In  the  field  of  animal  husbandry,  through  all  of  its  various  phases, 
science  has  left  its  impress. 

Agriculture  has  been  in  the  past  ages  and  will  be  for  all  time,  the  basic 
wealth  of  civilized  nations.  The  products  of  the  field,  garden  and  orchard 
stimulate  every  avenue  of  commerce  and  give  to  our  nation  a  staple  basis 
upon  which  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  future  generations  may  rest  with 
perfect  assurance. 

The  experiment  station,  through  its  corps  of  scientific  workers,  has  ren- 
dered a  signal  service  to  agriculture  and  indirectly  to  commerce.  Every 
branch  of  husbandry  has  felt  the  invigorating  influence  of  the  station  worker. 
Despite  the  great  work  in  behalf  of  a  more  progressive  agriculture,  the  realm 
of  this  industry  is  scarcely  yet  invaded.  Immense  fields  of  opportunity  are 
yet  untouched.  Agriculture,  stimulated  and  safeguarded  by  scientific  effort, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  195 

will   pour   into   the  lap   of   commerce   a   rich  legacy,   and   will   maintain   its 
supremacy  as  being  our  foremost  national  heritage. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  We  will  now  listen  to  an  address  by  Dr. 
Frank  W.  Hibbs,  of  the  Seattle  Chamber  of  Commerce,  on  "Ship 
Building  on  the  Pacific  Coast." 

MR.  HIBBS  said: 

THE    NECESSITY    FOR    DIFFERENTIALS     FAVORING     PACIFIC 
COAST  PORTS  IN  THE  BUILDING  OF  NAVAL  VESSELS. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN:  I  have  here  a  copy  of  the  resolution  which  I. 
understood  from  the  Secretary  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  has 
incorporated  in  its  report  which  refers  to  the  restriction  of  differ- 
entials in  favor  of  Pacific  Coast  ports  in  naval  construction.  That 
being  the  case  I  will  proceed. 

At  the  last  session  of  congress  the  following  amendment  to  the  naval 
appropriation  bill  was  offered  by  the  delegation  from  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton, but  although  fully  supported  by  the  delegations  from  the  other  Pacific 
coast  states,  it  was  lost  by  a  small  majority: 

"One  of  the  battleships  herein  provided  for  shall  be  built  on  or  near 
the  Pacific  ocean,  or  the  waters  connecting  therewith,  but  if  it  shall  appear 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  secretary  of  the  navy  from  the  bidding  for  such 
contracts  that  said  vessels  cannot  be  constructed  on  or  near  the  coast  of  the 
Pacific  ocean  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  4  per  cent  above  the  lowest  accepted 
bid  for  the  corresponding  vessel  provided  for  in  this  act,  he  shall  authorize  the 
construction  of  said  vessel  elsewhere  in  the  United  States,  subject  to  the 
limitations  as  to  cost  hereinbefore  provided." 

Almost  from  the  beginning  of  the  building  of  the  new  navy  a  similar 
amendment  had  been  attached  to  the  naval  appropriation  bill,  and  thus  had 
continued  up  to  the  year  1903,  at  which  time  also  it  was  lost ;  so  that  a 
provision  which  had  been  customary  for  nearly  twenty  years  has  been 
refused  at  the  last  two  sessions  of  congress. 

The  net  result  of  this  is,  that  while  previously  it  had  been  possible  to 
build  naval  vessels  on  the  Pacific  coast,  no  contracts  for  such  work  have 
since  been  made ;  and  it  seems  probable  within  all  reason  and  common  sense, 
that  unless  this  provision  or  its  equivalent  be  restored  to  the  naval  appropria- 
tion bill  in  the  future,  the  completion  of  the  four  ships  now  under  construc- 
tion will  mark  the  end  of  naval  shipbuilding  on  this  coast,  if  not  the  end  of 
that  important  branch  of  our  industry. 

This  is  a  state  of  affairs  which  concerns  the  whole  country,  but  par- 
ticularly the  people  of  the  western  states,  who,  if  they  were  fully  acquainted 
with  the  facts  and  appreciated  their  bearing  upon  the  commercial  and  indus- 
trial interests  of  the  west,  would  not  fail  to  take  such  action  as  would  insure 
a  continuance  of  a  fair  proportion  of  naval  work  in  our  Pacific  coast  ship- 
yards. 

The  necessity  for  such  a  provision  is  not  difficult  to  understand.  It  is 
a  plain  business  proposition,  which  has  for  its  object  simply  the  removal  of 
the  handicap  with  which  the  Pacific  coast  shipbuilder  has  to  contend  inlaying 
a  large  proportional  amount  of  freight  upon  the  steel  materials  which  enter 
into  the  construction  of  such  a  vessel,  amounting  to  such  a  percentage  of  her 
total  cost  as  to  prevent  any  possibility  of  successful  competition  with  eastern 
shipbuilders. 


196      ;  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

All  steel  materials,  particularly  those  required  for  naval  work,  are  manu- 
factured in  the  east,  principally  in  Pennsylvania,  whence  they  must  be  trans- 
ported by  rail  to  the  shipyard.  Upon  these  materials,  principally  steel  plates, 
angles,  etc.,  the  freight  rate  to  the  Pacific  coast  is  75  cents  per  hundred 
pounds  as  against  19%  cents  for  the  haul  to  the  most  remote  of  the  eastern 
shipyards,  and  10  cents  per  hundred  pounds  as  an  average.  So  that,  generally 
speaking,  the  Pacific  coast  shipbuilder  pays  65  cents  per  hundred  pounds  more 
for  his  steel  laid  down  than  the  eastern  shipbuilder.  Besides  the  hull  steel, 
there  is  also  a  large  amount  of  material,  such  as  machinery,  engine  forgings, 
steel  castings,  etc.,  which  carries  a  much  higher  rate  of  freight  than  75 
cents — as  high  as  $1.40 — the  average  freight  cost  of  which  to  the  eastern  ship- 
yard would  be  about  20  cents. 

The  Pacific  coast  shipbuilder,  then,  pays  on  an  average  in  round  numbers 
$1.00  per  hundred  pounds  more  than  the  eastern  shipbuilder,  for  all  the  steel 
materials  and  the  like  which  he  has  to  supply  in  the  construction  of  a  naval 
vessel. 

In  a  ship  the  size  of  the  "Nebraska"  this  is  16,500,000  pounds,  or  about 
8,500  tons,  making  the  extra  cost  of  such  a  vessel,  if  built  on  this  coast, 
about  $165,000. 

It  is  not  reasonable  to  expect  that  a  shipyard,  however  well  equipped, 
however  well  managed,  or  however  favorably  located  otherwise,  could  lift 
such  a  handicap  as  this ;  and  it  is  impossible  on  the  face  of  it,  for  a  ship- 
builder to  bid  legitimately  with  any  hope  of  securing  a  contract  under  such 
circumstances;  he  is  simply  out  of  the  competition. 

The  "Nebraska's"  contract  price  is  $3,733,600.  The  contract  was  awarded 
under  the  provisions  of  the  naval  appropriation  bill  which  carried  the  4  per 
cent  differential  clause,  being  in  this  case  $143,600  in  excess  of  the  lowest 
accepted  bid  for  the  corresponding  ships  awarded  to  an  eastern  builder — 
$3,590,000.  So  that  it  will  be  seen  that  for  this  type  and  size  of  vessel,  the 
4  per  cent  differential  is  conservative  rather  than  otherwise. 

It  would  cost  $75,000  to  bring  such  a  vessel  from  New  York  to  Seattle; 
so  that  the  net  extra  cost  of  a  $7,000,000  battleship  is  about  1  per  cent. 

This  is  very  small  comparatively,  yet  it  permits  the  Pacific  coast  ship- 
builder to  enter  competition  with  the  many  well-equipped  eastern  shipyards ;  it 
fosters  the  establishment  of  shipbuilding  plants  on  this  coast,  capable  of  hand- 
ling the  heaviest  work ;  it  attracts  mechanics  of  the  highest  skill,  and  benefits 
business  generally  to  the  extent  of  their  wages ;  it  develops  the  resources  of  the 
country,  as  any  industry  must  do ;  it  lays  the  foundation  for  a  broader  develop- 
ment in  the  merchant  marine,  and  it  reinforces  the  nation's  stability  and 
strength  by  constituting  a  veritable  dependence  in  time  of  war. 

In  order  fully  to  appreciate  the  circumstances  it  is  necessary  to  review 
briefly  the  history  of  the  reconstruction  of  the  United  States  navy,  which  in 
twenty  years  has  been  brought  from  absolute  insignificance  to  the  third  posi- 
tion in  the  world. 

During  the  civil  war,  the  American  navy  was  the  most  advanced,  the 
best  equipped,  and  the  best  manned  in  the  world ;  but  from  that  time  until 
1883  it  was  allowed  to  dwindle.  The  only  iron  vessels  it  possessed  were 
laid  up,  while  the  vessels  in  commission,  although  magnificent  specimens  of 
their  class  at  one  time,  were  antiquated,  weak  in  hull,  in  power  and  in  arma- 
ment ;  and  although  manned  by  an  efficient  personnel,  they  were  so  far  behind 
vessels  of  other  nations  with  which  they  were  compelled  to  consort,  that  they 
were  a  mortification  to  the  officers  and  men  who  manned  them.  There 
remained  of  the  American  navy  only  its  past  glory. 

In  1883,  congress  appropriated  for  the  construction  of  four  small  ves- 
sels, one  of  which  was  called  a  dispatch  vessel,  and  the  other  three  protected 
cruisers.  At  that  time  practically  no  steel  shipbuilding  had  been  done  in  the 
United  States,  and  although  the  methods  of  the  navy  department  resulted  in 
the  destruction  of  the  first  shipbuilding  company  that  had  the  temerity  to 
attempt  such  work,  it  was  for  many  years  the  policy  of  the  government  to 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  ,         197 

foster  the  shipbuilding  industry.  In  fact,  it  may  be  said  that  the  existence  of 
the  steel  shipbuilding  industry  in  this  country  as  it  is  today  is  due  to  the 
liberal  building  policy  of  the  government.  For  many  years  a  speed  premium 
contract  was  offered  which,  although  not  always  resulting  in  profit  to  the 
builder,  equitably  balanced  a  forfeiture  clause  which  has  always  formed  a  fea- 
ture of  such  contracts. 

After  John  Roach  &  Co.,  the  William  Cramp  &  Sons  Company  began  to 
build;  and  almost  at  the  same  .time,  under  the  provisions  of  favorable  legisla- 
tion, the  Union  Iron  Works  of  San  Francisco  laid  down  the  "Charleston." 

In  the  order  of  their  precedence,  then,  the  shipyards  that  have  under- 
taken naval  contracts  have  been  : 

John  Roach  &  Co T 1883 

Wm.  Cramp  &  Sons  1886 

Union  Iron  Works   1886, 

Columbia  Iron  Works,  Baltimore,  Md 1886 

N.  F.  Palmer  &  Co.,  Chester,  Pa 1887 

Herrechoff  Manufacturing  Co.,  Rhode  Island 1888 

City  Point  Works,  Boston,  Mass '.889 

Bath  Iron  Works,  Bath,  Me 1890 

Samuel  L.  Moore  &  Sons,  Elizabeth,  N.  J 1890 

Iowa  Iron  Works,  Dubuque,  Iowa 1891 

Newport  News  D.  D.  &  S.  B.  Co.,  Newport  News,  Va 1894 

Lewis  Nixon,  Crescent  Shipyard,  Elizabethport,  N.  J 1895 

J.  H.  Dialogue  &  Sons,  Camden,  N.  J 1895 

Wolff  &  Zwicker,  Portland,  Ore 1896 

Charles  Hillman  Co.,  Philadelphia,  Pa 1896 

Harlan  &  Hollingsworth,  Wilmington,  Del 1897 

Gas  Engine  and  Power  Co.,  Morris  Heights,  N.  Y 1897 

Maryland  Steel  Co.,  Baltimore,  Md 1898 

Neafie  &  Levy,  Philadelphia,  Pa 1898 

W.  R.  Trigg  &  Co.,  Richmond,  Va 1898 

Fore  River  Ship  and  Engine  Co.,  Quincy,  Mass 1899 

Lawley  &  Sons,  South  Boston,  Mass 1899 

Moran  Bros  Co.,  Seattle,  Wash 1901 

New  York  Shipbuilding  Co.,   Camden,   N.  J 1903 

Of  these,  some  have  since  gone  out  of  existence  and  some  are  equipped 
for  building  torpedo  boats  and  small  craft  only ;  so  that  at  the  present  time 
there  are  eleven  principal  shipyards  in  the  United  States  capaWe  of  handling 
general  naval  work  of  the  largest  size,  namely : 

On  the  Atlantic  coast 9 

On  the  Pacific  coast  2 

Since  the  war  with  Spain,  the  navy  has  been  most  popular  throughout  the 
country;  and  our  building  programme,  taking  the  shape  of  the  heaviest  bat- 
tleships and  armored  cruisers,  has  been  the  surprise  of  the  world. 

For  careful  and  skillful  design  and  workmanship,  the  ships  of  our  new 
navy  have  been  the  equal,  if  not  the  superior,  of  any  of  their  type  almost  from 
the  beginning ;  and  the  latest  additions  to  our  fleet  have  no  peers  on  the  high 
seas. 

By  wise  legislation  the  Pacific  coast  has  been  enabled  to  secure  a  fair 
proportion  of  these  contracts,  and  the  glorious  record  of  the  immortal 
"Oregon,"  "Bull  Dog  of  the  Navy,"  has  shown  that  the  navy  and  the  nation 
has  not  lost  anything  by  awarding  such  contracts  to  the  Union  Iron  Works. 
Nor  do  any  of  their  ships,  although  lacking  the  "Oregon's"  opportunity  to 
demonstrate  their  efficiency  in  so  signal  a  manner,  suffer  in  comparison  with 
corresponding  vessels  of  eastern  build.  Ship  for  ship,  the  workmanship,  finish 
and  technical  skill  displayed  in  the  "Wisconsin,"  the  "Ohio,"  the  "Nebraska," 
and  the  "California"  are  fully  equal  to  the  same  features  of  the  product  of 


198  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

the  eastern  yards,  and  the  plant  equipment  and  organization  of  the  shipyards 
on  the  west  coast  are  fully  equal  to  those  of  the  east ;  in  other  words,  as  the 
former  chief  constructor  of  the  navy  said,  after  examining  the  "Oregon," 
freshly  returned  from  her  memorable  fight  off  Santiago,  "they  know  how  to 
build  ships  out  there." 

This  result  is  gratifying  to  the  people  of  the  Pacific  coast,  who  take  more 
pride  therein  and  evince  greater  appreciation  thereof  than  do  the  people  of 
the  east  over  their  achievements ;  perhaps  because  they  know  what  difficulties 
have  had  to  be  overcome  and  against  what  odds  the  shipbuilder  has  had  to 
labor ;  perhaps  because  they  feel  that  this  demonstration  of  the  possibilities 
of  naval  shipbuilding  and  the  establishment  of  plants  capable  of  turning  out 
such  vessels  will  not  fail  to  influence  the  long-hoped-for  development  of  their 
merchant  shipping ;  by  stimulating  the  local  production  of  materials  used  in 
shipbuilding ;  by  advertising  the  country's  resources,  attracting  foreign  vessels 
and  trade ;  shortening  transportation,  and  ultimately  opening  up  foreign  com- 
merce. 

In  a  broader  sense,  the  entire  country  is  benefited  by  the  existence  on  the 
Pacific  coast  of  large  plants  capable  of  handling  the  heaviest  work,  with  the 
many  special  tools  and  apparatus  that  must  be  used  in  the  construction  of  a 
battleship,  with  mechanics  accustomed  to  the  methods  and  materials  used 
therein,  and  possessing  the  skill  that  comes  alone  from  familiarity  with  the 
work. 

Few  people  realize  until  they  have  examined  such  plants  what  it  means 
to  build  a  battleship,  the  heavy  character  of  the  tools  and  handling  mechanism, 
the  space  required,  and  the  intricacy  and  the  exactness  of  the  work,  requiring 
the  most  extensive  and  expensive  outlay.  Many  of  the  processes  of  work 
are  peculiar  to  warship  construction  and  either  are  not  required,  or  on  account 
of  the  expense  involved,  cannot  be  used  in  merchant  ship  construction.  With 
two  such  plants  on  the  Pacific  coast,  therefore,  what  better  dependence  could 
the  government  have  for  maintaining  its  fleet  in  these  waters? 

It  is  not  reasonable  that  the  navy  yards  should  be  depended  upon  entirely, 
for  the  work  is  necessarily  spasmodic,  and  they  are  in  general  properly 
equipped  for  handling  only  necessary  or  emergency  repairs,  and  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  maintain  a  corps  of  mechanics. 

Of  the  two  navy  yards  on  the  Pacific  coast,  the  one  at  Mare  Island  is 
inaccessible  to  battleships  on  account  of  the  shallow  approaches,  and  the 
other  at  Bremerton  has  not  the  appliances  to  handle  a  sixty-ton  gun ;  yet  the 
two  shipyards  at  San  Francisco  and  Seattle  are  both  approachable  and  both 
have  appliances  for  handling  the  heaviest  weights,  because  they  have  already 
had  that  work  to  do  in  building  battleships.  Is  this  of  no  advantage  to  the 
government  ?  Yet  it  is  only  one  example  of  the  many  such  comparisons.  Sup- 
pose for  the  sake  of  argument  that  there  were  no  shipyards  on  the  Pacific 
coast  that  had  the  plant  capable  of  building  a  battleship  and  that  the  govern- 
ment, at  the  expense  of  ten  times  the  amount  of  the  excess  of  cost  of  all  the 
ships  it  has  built  here,  were  to  equip  its  two  navy  yards  with  such  apparatus 
and  tools,  could  it  afford  to  maintain  this  vast  equipment  habitually  idle  while 
still  building  its  new  vessels  in  the  Atlantic  shipyards?  Better  than  this 
would  it  be  to  equip  the  shipyards  at  once  at  government  expense  and  collect 
interest  thereon  for  such  time  as  that  equipment  is  used  by  them  in  their  pri- 
vate operations,  including  the  building  of  government  vessels. 

Yet  here  are  shipyards  already  equipped  at  their  own  expense  for  govern- 
ment work ;  and  the  only  assistance  they  need  from  the  government,  in  recog- 
nition of  the  benefit  it  derives  from  them,  is  the  means  of  competing  for  its 
work  upon  a  fairly  equal  basis  with  eastern  shipyards. 

We  are  expending  many  millions  of  dollars  in  the  construction  of  the 
navy,  and  nothing  could  be  devised  which  could  be  of  more  general  benefit  to 
the  people.  The  money  thus  expended,  gathered  from  sources  which  do  not 
load  the  people  with  taxation,  is  paid  to  them  in  wages,  develops  all  branches 
of  industry  and  manufacture,  increases  the  nation's  strength  and  stability,  and 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  199 

provides  employment  for  thousands  and  thousands  of  mechanics  of  the  highest 
skill.  There  is  scarcely  a  trade,  scarcely  a  manufactured  product  that  is  not 
employed  in  such  work.  Trace  the  materials  and  apparatus  collected  for  the 
construction  of  a  battleship  back  to  their  sources  and  you  will  find  men  indi- 
rectly employed  upon  the  work  in  many  places  far  removed  from  the  ship- 
yard. 

It  is  right,  therefore,  as  well  as  good  policy  to  distribute  this  work  as 
much  as  possible,  provided  it  can  be  done  in  an  appropriate  and  just  manner. 

This  question  is  inevitably  interlocked  with  that  of  the  merchant  marine. 
The  attention  of  the  country  is  now  drawn  to  the  deplorable  state  into 
which  our  merchant  shipping  has  been  allowed  to  drift,  and  it  seems  probable 
that  in  the  near  future  some  substantial  and  positive  assistance  will  be  given 
by  national  legislation. 

It  is  questionable  whether  the  shipyards  of  the  Pacific  coast  could  have 
been  maintained  as  long  as  they  have  (certainly  not  anything  like  their  present 
magnitude)  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  government  contracts  which  have  fur- 
nished not  only  them,  but  the  principal  eastern  yards  with  practically  all  of 
the  work  that  has  been  done,  for  the  last  few  years  at  any  rate. 

So  that  under  existing  circumstances  the  length  of  time  these  shipyards 
can  run  may  be  said  to  be  limited  by  the  completion  of  government  contracts 
or  the  continuance  of  the  liberal  policy  of  building  government  vessels. 

On  this  basis  it  would  be  possible  to  tide  over  the  deadlock  in  the  ship- 
ping business,  by  providing  sufficient  government  work  to  keep  the  yards  busy 
and  by  such  legislation  as  would  result  in  distributing  the  work. 

While  a  liberal  and  considerate  policy  in  this  direction  would  serve  to 
aid  the  shipbuilding  industry  of  the  Pacific  coast  for  a  few  years,  and  possi- 
bly uphold  it  temporarily,  it  could  not  be  advocated  as  a  solution,  for  its  oper- 
ation is  necessarily  limited,  and  permanent  good  can  only  be  done  by  such 
legislation  as  will  benefit  the  shipping  business  in  general.  As  the  effects  of 
the  latter,  however,  even  if  undertaken  at  once,  could  not  be  expected  to  be 
other  than  gradual,  it  is  of  equal  importance  that  aid  should  be  given  also  by 
the  national  government,  by  continuing  its  former  attitude  toward  the  Pacific 
coast  shipyards  to  tide  over  the  interim. 

What  our  shipyards  want  is  work  and  plenty  of  it.  In  competition  with 
foreign  builders  they  could  overcome  the  difficulties  of  higher  wages  and  a 
protective  tariff  upon  shipbuilding  materials,  if  there  were  sufficient  work  to 
keep  them  busy  continuously  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  enable  them 
to  develop  methods  and  systems  to  bring  the  shipbuilding  art  to  one  of  manu- 
facturing and  to  reduce  the  percentage  of  fixed  expenses. 

So  long  as  the  cost  of  production  is  so  much  greater  in  the  United  States 
than  it  is  in  Europe,  there  is  no  hope  of  competing  on  an  equal  footing  with 
the  latter ;  but  if  by  any  means  a  stimulus  be  given  to  American  shipping 
which  will  create  a  demand  for  ships  from  American  owners  the  development 
of  the  shipbuilding  industry  will  be  such  that  by  the  time  the  commerce  of  our 
own  country  is  carried  in  our  own  ships,  our  shipyards  will  be  in  a  position  to 
reach  out  for  foreign  work. 

I  submit  to  you,  therefore,  the  following  conclusions : 

First — There  are  two  shipyards  on  the  Pacific  coast  that  have  been  estab- 
lished and  equipped,  at  great  expense,  for  handling  the  largest  and  highest 
class  of  naval  work. 

Second — The  existence  of  these  yards  is  a  definite  practical  advantage 
to  the  government  from  a  military  point  of  view,  to  the  country  from  a  com- 
mercial point  of  view;  and  to  the  people  of  the  western  states,  fiom  a 
business  point  of  view. 

Third — In  the  present  condition  of  the  merchant  marine  their  existence 
depends  to  a  great  extent  upon  the  possibility  of  securing  additional  gov- 
ernment work. 


200  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

Fourth — Without  the  assistance  of  the  "4  per  cent  differential,"  so  called 
and  described  herein,  there  is  no  possibility  of  their  securing  such  work  in 
competition  with  eastern  yards. 

Fifth — It  has  been  demonstrated  repeatedly  by  the  bids  submitted  for 
naval  work  in  the  last  two  jrears  that  they  would  have  secured  such  con- 
tracts if  the  above-named  provisions  had  been  made  by  congress. 

Sixth — The  "4  per  cent  differential"  in  favor  of  Pacific  coast  ports  in 
the  building  of  naval  vessels  is  therefore  a  necessity.  . 

It  is  hoped  that  this  large  representative  body  of  the  trans-Mississippi 
states,  this  Commercial  Congress,  guarding  interests  which  are  bound  to- 
gether with  those  of  the  navy  and  the  merchant  marine  and  with  all  that 
concerns  them,  will  recognize  this ;  and  that  they  will  take  such  action  as 
will  assist  the  Pacific  coast  to  retain  its  place  in  the  shipbuilding  industry 
of  the  United  States.  (Applause.) 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Mr.  Randall  H.  Kemp,  of  Alaska,  is  the  next 
speaker.  Mr.  Kemp  will  please  come  to  the  rostrum. 

MR.   KEMP: 

DELEGATE  R.  H.  KEMP  ON  ALASKA. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen — I  believe  we  all  know  where  Alaska  is 
located.  The  Klondike  excitement  of  a  few  years  ago  told  people  where  it 
was.  I  see  a  number  of  men  here  who  are  of  my  own  age,  some  older,  per- 
haps, who  can  remember  when  Alaska  was  referred  to  as  Seward's  Ice  Box. 
We  have  some  ice  in  Alaska.  About  seven  or  eight  days  ago  I  was  on  the 
deck  of  a  ship  with  a  heavy  ulster  buttoned  up  around  me,  sailing  through 
icebergs,  along  the  foot  of  glaciers,  amid  scenery  which  there  is  none  in 
the  world  to  compare  with.  It  was  kind  of  chilly  there,  not  so  warm  as  it 
is  here ;  but,  nevertheless,  it  is  not  a  region  of  ice  and  snow,  as  many  people 
think.  Figuratively  speaking,  you  cannot  stand  with  one  foot  on  an  iceberg 
and  the  other  on  a  volcano,  although  we  have  both,  and  plenty  of  them,  in 
Alaska.  I  cannot  give  you  the  exact  extent  of  the  country  in  figures,  but  we 
expect  in  time  to  add  three  stars  to  the  American  flag.  (Great  applause.) 
It  is  large  enough  for  three  states  the  size  of  the  largest  western  state,  and 
would  make  quite  a  number  of  the  size  of  Rhode  Island.  The  conditions  are 
such  that  any  one  can  live  there,  but  I  would  not  advise  anyone  to  go  to 
Alaska  unless  he  had  means  enough  to  carry  him  through  for  a  year.  I  am 
located  at  the  head  of  Resurrection  bay,  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Alaskan 
Central  Railway,  That  railway  company  now  has  1700  men  at  work  on  the 
first  seventy-mile  section.  Its  objective  point  is  navigable  water  on  the 
Tanana  river,  some  463  miles  to  the  north.  I  am  told  by  reliable  authority 
that  there  is  room  in  the  Tanana  country  for  50,000  miners.  At  present 
the  supplies  to  the  various  camps  in  what  we  denominate  the  Fairbanks  coun- 
try, are  gotten  in  during  the  winter  by  dog  teams,  consequently  they  are  very 
expensive.  The  Alaska  Central  Railway  will  make  cheaper  freight  in  there. 
Taking  the  statistics  of  Dawson  on  the  British  side,  each  placer  miner  con- 
sumes about  five  tons  per  year,  including  provisions,  supplies,  tools  and  ma- 
chinery. It  is  the  machinery  that  brings  the  ratio  up.  A  person  can  readily 
figure  what  ingoing  tonnage  the  railroad  will  have;  not  to  speak  of  the  coal 
lands  that  will  be  opened  up  by  the  railroad,  and  the  gold,  silver  and  copper 
quartz  mines  which  will  be  developed. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  conditions  at  Seward  on  Resurrection  bay,  it 
will  be  two  weeks  tomorrow  since  I  had  a  photographer  come  to  my  residence 
to  photograph  a  flower  that  we  call  a  Bleeding  Heart,  so  that  we  could 
perpetuate  that  flower  raised  in  our  own  garden,  which  was  the  most  beautiful 
botanical  specimen  of  its  kind  I  ever  saw.  We  have  been  using  radishes 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  201 

from  our  garden  for  weeks ;  the  sweetest  turnips  I  ever  ate  in  my  life  are 
grown  there.  We  are  raising  cauliflower,  cabbages,  rhubarb  and  other  gar- 
den products  just  the  same  as  you  have  here  in  Oregon,  watermelons,  can- 
taloupes, and  so  on.  I  have  been  in  the  far  west  over  thirty-one  years, 
from  Colorado  to  British  Columbia,  back  through  Washington  to  Oregon, 
and  then  north  to  Alaska;  but  for  native  fruits  I  never  saw  a  place  to  equal 
Alaska.  We  have  an  expression  there,  which  we  use  very  often — "Oh,  how 
we  do  suffer  in  Alaska."  With  mountain  sheep,  the  finest  wild  game  that 
runs ;  with  cranberry  sauce  made  from  cranberries  we  pick  there,  we  could 
live  on  the  products  of  Alaska,  except  flour,  possibly — there  is  no  wheat 
grown  there.  A  gentleman  told  me,  just  before  leaving  Seward,  that  if  he 
had  known  I  was  going  to  Portland,  he  would  have  brought  me  a  bunch 
of  timothy  that  high,  with  heads  that  long.  I  wish  simply  to  convey  the  idea 
that  Alaska  is  not  what  people  generally  think  it  is.  It  is  a  new  and  won- 
derful empire;  a  place  for  the  young  man  and  the  young  woman  to  go  to, 
provided  they  have  something  to  carry  them  ahead.  It  is  going  to  be  a 
great  stock-raising  and  agricultural  country;  as  a  mineral  country,  the  world 
now  knows  what  it  is.  A  member  of  the  geological  survey  remarked  that 
every  mineral  known  under  the  sun  could  be  found  in  Alaska.  We  have 
tin  mines;  I  have  a  very  complete  laboratory  assay  office  in  Seward,  and  I 
made  an  assay  of  tin  from  Kodiak  island  a  few  weeks  ago,'  but  I  am  not 
going  to  tell  you  all  about  it,  because  I  want  to  get  in  on  it  myself,  and  I 
am  not  looking  for  any  backers  in  the  enterprise.  Tin  is  a  very  valuable 
metal  in  the  United  States,  as  you  know.  I  don't  know  what  more  I  could 
say  that  would  interest  you  people,  but  something  reminds  me  that  is  per- 
haps worth  repeating.  There  is  an  old  chap  in  Seward,  rather  fleshy  and  very 
lazy,  and  who  is  quite  well  fixed,  and  he  made  the  remark  to  a  "tillicum" 
of  his,  as  we  say  in  Chinook  jargon,  that  "all  a  person  has  to  do  in  Alaska 
is  to  wiggle,  and  he  gets  along  all  right."  (Laughter  and  applause.) 

MR.  WALLACE  (North  Dakota)  :  Will  you  be  good  enough  to 
give  us  briefly,  the  extent,  quality  and  availability  of  the  timber  in 
Alaska? 

MR.  KEMP  :  Well,  if  our  spruce  timber  was  manufactured  into 
paper,  it  would  break  the  American  paper  trust.  I  had  a  conver- 
sation with  a  gentleman  who  has  put  in  his  life  in  the  manufactur- 
ing of  wood  pulp,  and  he  told  me  Alaska  spruce  has  the  finest  and 
longest  fiber  of  any  spruce  he  ever  handled.  Outside  of  spruce,  so 
far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  we  have  no  other  timber.  The  office 
built  for  the  Alaska  Central  Railway,  which  is  125x50  feet,  with 
two  wings  each  37.5x50  feet,  are  built  of  Oregon  pines,  from  the 
state  of  Oregon.  The  central  portion  fifty  feet  square,  and  forty- 
four  feet  high,  is  of  brick,  taken  in  on  ships  from  Seattle,  and  the 
first  brick  building  in  the  great  territory  of  Alaska,  is  in  my  town 
within  a  pebble  toss  of  my  office. 

MR.  WALLACE:  Do  you  mean  to  say  there  are  no  dense  and 
extensive  forests  there? 

MR.  KEMP  :  Yes,  there  are  extensive  forests,  but,  so  far  as  my 
knowledge,  extends,  the  lumber  is  not  of  great  value.  They  import 
lumber  from  Seattle.  There  are  great  forests  between  Seattle  and 
Seward,  and  at  Yakutat  they  manufacture  lumber,  but  saw  mills  are 


202  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

not  run  around  my  place.    The  railroad  has  two  saw  mills,  but  it  is 
spruce  lumber. 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  The  next  thing  in  order  is  the  introduction 
of  our  new  officers.  President  Francis  is  not  with  us,  but  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  our  first  vice-president,  Colonel  HL 
D.  Loveland,  of  California.  (Applause.) 

COLONEL  LOVELAND: 

ADDRESS  OF  VICE-PRESIDENT  LOVELAND. 

Mr.  Chairman — Our  next  service  will  be  a  thank  offering.  In  the  ab- 
sence of  Governor  Francis,  whom  you  have  honored  by  electing  president 
of  this  distinguished  body,  it  devolves  upon  me  to  thank  you  in  his  name 
and  in  the  name  of  the  other  officers,  as  well  as  myself.  I  want  to  say  that 
in  the  selection  of  the  officers  for  the  ensuing  year,  other  than  your  first 
vice-president,  you  have  honored  yourselves  in  the  choice.  Modesty  forbids 
me  to  say  that  for  your  first  vice-president,  although  I  entertain  my  opinion, 
of  course.  (Laughter.)  At  the  request  of  the  chairman  of  the  executive 
committee,  I  had  prepared,  with  a  great  deal  of  care  and  labor,  a  paper  to- 
be  read  before  this  Congress  on  the  subject  "Encouragement  of  Home  Man- 
ufacturers." It  was  a  good  paper ;  I  know  it,  because  I  wrote  it ;  I  read  it  to 
my  wife,  and  she  said  it  was  a  good  paper.  She  does  not  often  compliment 
what  I  do.  Now,  at  the  request  of  our  good-natured  secretary,  I  waived  my 
right  to  read  that  good  paper  to  Dr.  Grant.  I  never  was  better  repaid  in 
my  life,  for  I  listened  to  a  beautiful  lecture,  and  if  I  knew  where  he  was  going 
to  repeat  it,  I  would  go  a  good  ways  to  hear  it.  I  am  not  belittling  Dr. 
Grant's  lecture,  but  I  am  trying  to  interest  you  in  that  paper  of  mine,  because 
I  believe  that  this  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress  should  develop 
manufacturing  interests,  and  if  I  can  say  just  enough  about  that  good  paper 
of  mine  to  lead  you  to  read  it  when  it  is  published  in  the  proceedings,  because 
with  a  contrite  spirit  our  secretary  has  moved  that  you  permit  me  to  have  it 
published  in  the  proceedings,  is  that  right,  Mr.  Secretary? 

SECRETARY  FRANCIS  :    That  is  correct,  Mr.  President. 

MR.  LOVELAND  :  And  Tom  Richardson  has  seconded  it,  and  now  the- 
chair  awaits  your  vote  on  it.  Are  you  in  favor  of  permitting  me  to  publish 
that  good  speech  ? 

"Yes!    Yes!    Yes!    Yes"     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

MR.  LOVELAND  :  I  now  want  the  pleasure  of  introducing  our  second  vice- 
president,  Governor  Prince  of  New  Mexico.  (Applause.) 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI  COMMERCIAL  CONGRESS.  203 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE: 

ADDRESS  OF  GOVERNOR  PRINCE. 

I  am  not  apt  to  be  abashed  before  a  meeting  of  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress,  but  this  is  an  unexpected  introduction.  I  have  be- 
longed to  many  organizations  all  my  lifs,  but  the  Trans-Mississippi  Com- 
mercial Congress  is  the  organization  of  my  heart  and  love.  It  is  fourteen 
years  since  I  was  elected  president  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial 
Congress  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  I  presided  over  the  session  that 
was  held  in  Ogden,  and  from  that  time  down  to  two  or  three  years  ago  I 
never  missed  a  session,  wherever  held.  I  have  the  greatest  belief  in  the 
benefits  which  this  institution  does  for  not  only  the  trans-Mississippi  region, 
but  the  entire  country.  I  have  often  said  to  others  that  if  they  desired  to 
get  a  full  knowledge  of  the  great  questions  which  agitate  the  western  mind, 
and  which  are  important  to  the  western  half  of  this  continent,  they  could 
gain  more  in  a  four  days'  session  of  this  Congress  than  in  four  months  of 
reading.  I  don't  mean  a  session  like  the  one  here  held  in  a  city  where  there 
is  an  exposition.  I  remarked  at  the  beginning  of  this  Congress  that  I  be- 
lieved the  fascinations  of  the  exposition  would  be  too  much  for  it.  They 
are  always  too  much  for  any  deliberative  body.  It  is  a  tremendous  mistake 
for  any  body  of  this  kind  to  meet  in  an  exposition  city.  This  Congress  made 
a  mistake  last  year  when  it  met  in  St.  Louis;  it  made  a  mistake  this  year 
when  it  met  here.  I  do  not  mean  that  it  has  not  been  extremely  agreeable 
to  those  who  went  to  St.  Louis;  I  am  sure  that  it  has  been  very  agreeable 
to  those  who  came  to  Portland.  Portland  is  a  charming  place,  and  has 
charming  people.  The  exposition  itself  is  a  gem;  I  think  it  is  the  most  de- 
lightful exposition  to  visit  that  I  have  ever  seen ;  but  that  very  fact  makes  it 
detrimental  to  an  institution  of  his  kind.  However,  it  is  an  admirable  thing 
that,  as  these  anniversaries  of  great  historic  events  come  around  they  should 
be  celebrated  in  this  way,  because  it  brings  to  the  present  generation  more 
clearly  and  distinctly  the  history  of  the  days  that  are  past.  There  are,  per- 
haps, hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  who  knew  nothing  of  the  expedition 
of  Lewis  and  Clark  until  it  began  to  be  exploited  within  the  last  three  or 
four  years  in  connection  with  this  exposition.  They  may  have  heard  the 
names,  but  that  was  about  all  they  knew.  Now  there  isn't  a  child  in  any 
school  west  of  the  Mississippi,  even  if  there  may  be  some  in  the  effete  east, 
that  does  not  know  all  about  the  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark. 

Next  year  this  Congress  is  to  be  held  in  Kansas  City.  We  all  hope  you 
will  all  be  there.  Every  man  and  certainly  every  lady  who  is  present  in  the 
hall  tonight  it  is  hoped  will  go  to  Kansas  City  in  order  to  grace  that  occa- 
sion. It  is  a  more  central  point  in  the  trans-Mississippi  country  though  not 
as  interesting  and  not  as  beautiful.  I  beg  pardon  of  any  one  who  is  here 
from  Kansas  City  when  I  say  that  I  think  it  is  the  least  beautiful  of  all  the 
large  cities  in  the  country,  and  I  am  familiar  with  every  one  of  them.  That 
is  not  its  fault;  it  is  because  it  was  built  on  the  side  of  the  river  where  the 
hills  are  so  steep  that  it  could  not  be — 

GOVERNOR  CRITTENDEN  (Missouri)  :  Come  down  there  and  we" 
will  show  you. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE:  All  right,  we  are  coming.  You  have  done  every- 
thing which  man  can  do,  everything  which  human  intelligence  and  human 
energy — and  there  is  no  more  anywhere  in  the  world  than  there  is  in  Kansas 


204  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

City — can  do.  (Applause.)  The  fact  that  Kansas  City  is  what  it  is,  when 
•t  was  situated  where  it  is,  shows  the  energy  of  human  beings  who  have  made 
it.  (Great  applause.)  It  is  a  triumph  of  human  enterprise,  and  of  human 
energy,  and  there  is  more  vim  in  one  hundred  men  in  Kansas  City  than  in 
any  hundred  men  anywhere  else,  I  believe,  in  the  United  States.  (Tremen- 
dous applause.) 

GOVERNOR  CRITTENDEN  :  If  you  will  come  there  and  see  it,  you 
will  not  only  emphasize  the  words  you  are  uttering  now,  but  you 
will  go  away  and  say  that  it  is  the  most  beautiful  city  you  ever  saw 
in  your  life.  We  have  the  most  energetic  men  and  the  most  beau- 
tiful women  you  have  ever  seen. 

GOVERNOR  PRINCE:  That  is  true,  that  is  true;  handsome  is  as  handsome 
does,  and  Kansas  City  always  does  just  what  is  right.  We  are  going  to 
have  a  great  congress  in  Kansas  City,  and  we  want  you  all  to  come.  (Great 
applause.) 

MR.  CUMMINGS  moved  that  the  Congress  now  adjourn  sine  die, 
and  the  motion  was  seconded. 

MR.  WALLACE  (North  Dakota)  moved  that  a  vote  of  thanks  be 
extended  to  the  retiring  officer  and  to  those  who  have  delivered 
addresses  before  this  session  of  the  Congress. 

The  motion  was  seconded  by  MR.  CUMMINGS,  and  it  was  so- 
ordered. 

MR.  CALLBREATH  (Denver)  :  May  I  be  permitted  to  say  a 
word,  Mr.  Chairman?  I  want  to  call  special  attention  to  that  reso- 
lution approved  by  the  Resolutions  Committee,  and  by  this  Congress 
in  favor  of  an  Immigration  Congress.  What  we  need  in  this  west- 
ern country  is  brains  and  energy.  I  take  it  but  few  of  you  will 
dispute  the  proposition  that  the  east  has  lost  intelligence  as  we  have 
gained  it,  and  because  of  that  gain,  we  stand  today  as  the  best  rep- 
resentative of  magnificent  growth  the  world  has  seen,  in  this  or  any 
other  age.  But  we  must  not  forget  that  while  the  Immigration 
Congress  is  for  the  purpose  of  further  calling  the  attention  of  east- 
ern people  to  what  we  have,  this  Congress  must  provide  the  condi- 
tions which  will  bring  eastern  people  here.  Every  time  we  add  a 
home,  we  add  to  the  possibilities  of  manufacturing  interests  and 
develop  railroad  interests  and  everything  else;  and  I  want  to  ask 
each  one  of  you  to  use  your  energy,  co-operation  and  support  in- 
making  the  coming  session  of  the  Immigration  Congress  a  success. 

After  a  few  parting  words  for  Chairman  Smith,  the  motion  to» 
adjourn  was  renewed,  and  the  Congress  adjourned  sine  die. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  205 


ENCOURAGEMENT   TO   HOME   MANUFACTORIES. 

ADDRESS   OF    COL.    H.    D.    LOVELAND,    SIXTEENTH    ANNUAL    SESSION    TRANS- 
MISSISSIPPI   COMMERCIAL   CONGRESS,   PORTLAND,  OREGON, 
AUGUST  16,  17,  18  AND  19,  1905. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Con- 
gress— In  appearing  before  this  Congress  to  speak  on  the  subject  of  En- 
couragement to  Home  Manufactories,  it  is  probably  due  to  you  and  to  myself 
to  preface  my  remarks  by  saying  that  I  am  not  here  as  a  manufacturer,  nor 
as  one  who  knows  very  much  about  manufacturing;  and  it  is  with  consid- 
erable diffidence  that  I  attempt  to  interest  you  on  so  important  a  subject. 
But  I  console  myself  by  the  thought  that  if  I  were  engaged  in  manufactur- 
ing, my  practical  or  technical  knowledge  would  probably  be  confined  to  the 
particular  line  in  which  I  was  engaged,  while  as  it  is  I  can  enjoy  a  roving 
commission,  so  to  speak,  and  talk  generally  of  all  manufactories. 

I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  the  basic  principle  upon  which  this 
Congress  rests  is  to  foster  and  care  for  the  interests  of  all  that  vast  empire 
known  as  the  trans-Mississippi  region;  and  that  local  sectional  selfishness 
should  have  no  part  in  our  deliberations ;  but  I  am  also  aware  that  in  request- 
ing a  Pacific  coast  man  to  speak  on  the  subject  of  home  manufactories,  your 
executive  committee  must  have  known  that  to  some  extent,  at  least,  his  re- 
marks would  be  characterized  by  local  coloring;  and  in  addition  to  this  it 
will  be  granted  without  question  that  each  particular  section  is  justified  in 
setting  forth  its  peculiar  advantages  and  that  the  utilization  and  development 
of  those  advantages  will  make  for  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the 
whole  trans-Mississippi  country. 

So,  while  much  that  I  may  say  will  apply  to  the  trans-Mississippi  re- 
gion generally,  I  shall  speak  principally  of,  and  the  statistics  which  I  may 
present  will  deal  entirely  with  Pacific  coast  manufactories. 

Manufacturing  as  an  attractive  investment  for  capital,  presupposes  the 
existence  of  certain  conditions,  some  of  which  are  absolutely  necessary,  while 
all  desirable.  Of  paramount  importance  are  the  conditions  of  population, 
transportation,  power,  raw  material  and  facilities  for  securing  the  necessary 
labor.  In  some  of  these  the  Pacific  coast  is  especially  rich  in  opportunities ; 
others  the  development  of  the  past  few  years  have  tended  greatly  to  improve, 
and  nowhere  else  I  believe  has  the  giant  tread  of  the  world's  progress  been 
listened  to  with  keener  appreciation  and  advantage  than  here  on  the  Pacific 
coast. 

With  your  permission  I  shall  speak  of  these  pre-requisite  conditions 
separately  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  mentioned,  namely,  population, 
transportation,  power,  raw  material,  labor  and  incidentally  climatic  conditions. 

POPULATION. 

Our  population  has  been  and  is  being  rapidly  augmented.  This,  with- 
out an  official  census,  is  evidencd  in  many  different  ways.  The  record  of  the 
sales  of  real  estate  in  both  city  and  country;  the  cutting  up  of  large  ranches 
or  holdings  into  small  farms;  the  reports  of  transportation  companies;  the 
enumeration  of  school  children ;  the  reports  of  companies  handling  such  pub- 
lic utilities  as  gas,  water,  etc. ;  the  bank  clearances ;  the  registration  for  polit- 
ical purposes  and  at  hotels  and  boarding  houses,  and  especially  the  ease  with 
which  tenants  are  found  for  many  new  buildings,  all  point  to  the  fact  that 
the  next  census  will  show  a  great  increase  over  the  last  in  the  population 
of  the  Pacific  coast.  Nor  is  there  any  reason  to  fear  that  this  will  not  con- 
tinue. Did  you  ever  stop  to  think  and  contrast  the  population  of  the  Pacific 


206  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

coast  states  compared  with  their  area  in  square  miles  with  some  of  the  states 
east  of  the  Mississippi  or  with  European  countries?  If  not,  a  few  figures  will 
be  interesting. 

New  York  has  an  area  of  about  47,000  square  miles  and  a  population  ac- 
cording to  the  last  census  of  5,997,853,  or  126  persons  to  the  square  mile. 
Washington  contains  66,880  square  miles  and  the  last  census  gave  the  pop- 
ulation at  349,390,  or  5  and  a  fraction  persons  to  the  square  mile.  Illinois 
has  68  persons  to  the  square  mile  and  Oregon  has  3S. 

California  is  approximately  one-third  larger  than  Italy.  Her  climate 
and  productions  are  very  similar.  California  at  the  last  census  had  one  mil- 
lion and  a  half  in  population,  while  Italy  supports  a  population  of  over  thirty 
million.  France,  with  an  area  one-third  larger  than  California,  has  a  pop- 
ulation of  thirty-eight  million.  Surely,  we  have  room  to  grow,  have  we  not? 
And  we  are  growing,  and  will  continue  to  grow.  Think  of  the  immigration 
that  will  be  attracted  to  the  trans-Mississippi  region  by  the  great  irrigation 
work  now  being  done  by  the  federal  government,  and  for  which  this  Con- 
gress has  done  so  much !  Think  of  the  enormous  influence  that  the  devel- 
opments in  the  Orient  will  have  in  multiplying  the  population  of  the  Pacific 
coast!  Accept  my  assurance  that  out  here  we  are  all  disciples  of  our  great 
President  Roosevelt  on  the  question  of  race  suicide,  and  you  will  conclude, 
with  me  that,  so  far  as  population  is  concerned,  conditions  on  the  Pacific 
coast  are  favorable  to  home  manufacturing. 

TRANSPORTATION. 

Next  is  the  subject  of  transportation,  and  this  is  something  which  will 
regulate  itself  and  keep  pace  with  the  changing  conditions  of  population  and 
development.  Time  forbids  entering  into  details  on  this  important  subject, 
but  it  is  enough  to  call  your  attention  to  the  self-evident  truth  that  just  as 
population  ?nd  manufacturing  lend  themselves  to  the  development  of  trans- 
portation facilities,  so  the  increase  in  those  facilities  is  reflected  in  the  multi- 
plication of  population  and  in  the  added  importance  of  manuf ac1  uring  in- 
terests. 

On  land  and  sea  transportational  facilities  will  keep  pace  with  and  stim- 
ulate the  growth  of  our  population  and  of  our  industrial  life  as  it  finds  ex- 
pression in  the  development  of  home  manufactories. 

POWER. 

In  the  past  the  problem  of  power  for  manufacturing  has  been  a  question 
of  serious  import,  especially  to  the  small  manufacturer.  This  has  all  been 
changed.  The  inventive  genius  of  man  has  indeed  been  a  veritable  Ailadin's 
lamp,  and  the  genie  of  hydro-electrical  energy  has  appeared  in  response  to 
its  command.  This  wonderful  force  produced  by  our  mountain  streams  can 
be  transmitted  hundreds  of  miles  and  furnished  to  manufacturing  industries, 
large  and  small,  in  quantities  to  suit  the  demand,  and  at  a  cost  that  makes 
manufacturing  possible  and  profitable.  The  uses  to  which  electrical  power 
developed  by  our  streams  and  rivers  can  be  put  are  'nnumerable.  As  a  local 
illustration,  it  may  safely  be  said  that  the  falls  of  the  beautiful  Willamette 
river,  fourteen  miles  above  this  city,  when  properly  harnessed,  would  produce 
hydro-electrical  energy  sufficient  to  run  every  lumber  mill,  every  flour  mill, 
every  machine  shop,  every  factory,  every  ship  yard,  every  grain  warehouse, 
in  fact,  to  turn  every  wheel  in  the  state  of  Oregon,  as  well  as  to  illuminate 
its  cities  and  towns.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  falls  of  the  Spokane  river 
in  Washington,  and  in  a  less  degree  of  any  number  of  mountain  streams  in  the 
great  trans-Mississippi  region.  It  may  be  said  that  this  power  has  always 
existed,  that  the  dawn  of  civilization  heard  the  roar  of  the  mighty  cataracts 
of  the  world,  which  is  true;  but  in  the  past,  manufacturing  plants  had  to  be 
located  at  or  near  these  waterfalls  in  order  to  utilize  their  power;  while 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  207 

today  it  is  the  divisibility  of  hydro-electrical  energy,  and  the  ease  with  which 
it  is  transmitted  to  places  remote  from  where  it  is  generated  that  makes  it 
available  and  multiplies  the  importance  of  the  law  of  gravitation  as  expressed 
by  these  falling  waters. 

In  California,  in  addition  to  this,  the  discovery  of  petroleum  in  unlimited 
quantities  has  further  solved  the  problem  of  cheap  fuel  for  manuf act; 'ring 
purposes.  Oil  at  70c  per  barrel  is  estimated  as  equal  to  coal  at  $2.25  per 
ton,  or  nearly  40  per  cent  cheaper  than  the  eastern  manufacturer  can  obtain  it. 

Our  machine  shops  and  our  factories  are  using  oil  as  a  fuel.  Our  gas 
companies  are  using  oil  to  manufacture  gas  at  a  cost  less  than  half  of  A\hat 
it  costs  to  produce  it  from  coal.  Our  railroads  are  using  it  to  run  their 
engines ,  and  many  of  our  steamships  are  being  transformed  into  oil  burners. 
The  Pacific  Coast  Manufacturers'  Journal,  under  date  of  March  1,  1905, 
states  that  the  Oceanic  steamship  Mariposa  is  said  to  be  saving  $200  a  day  as 
a  consumer  of  California  fuel  oil  instead  of  coal,  and  her  speed  has  been  in- 
creased one  knot  an  hour. 

To  show  you  the  increase  in  the  production  of  petroleum  and  its  im- 
portance commercially,  I  quote  the  following  figures :  In  18Si)  the  oi.tput  was 
valued  at  $368,048.  In  1903,  although  the  price  had  dropped  to  less  than 
half  what  it  was  in  1889,  the  value  of  the  petroleum  produced  was  $7,313,271. 
So  it  would  certainly  appear  that  with  the  development  of  hydro  -<-lectrical 
energy,  with  the  enormous  increase  in  the  production  of  petroleum  and  with 
the  discovery  and  development  of  new  coal  deposits  which  I  have  not  before 
alluded  to,  but  which  is  constantly  going  on,  we  have  solved  the  problem 
of  cheap  power  for  manufacturing.  Yet  there  is  still  another  source  of  cheap 
fuel  supply  in  California,  thus  far  practically  neglected.  I  again  quote  from 
the  Pacific  Coast  Manufacturers'  Journal  of  March  1  this  year : 

"The  area  of  the  territory  in  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  valleys 
which  has  been  shown  by  a  number  of  wells  and  springs  to  contain  natural 
gas  in  solution  with  water,  is  over  300  miles  in  length  and  more  than  thirty 
miles  wide.  According  to  an  expert's  computation,  based  on  the  results  ob- 
tained from  natural  gas  wells  in  existence  and  an  estimation  of  the  water 
contents  of  the  porous  stratification  for  a  depth  of  1,000  feet,  it  is  estimated 
that  this  territory  contains  at  least  6,082,360,000,000  cubic  feet  of  gas.  As- 
suming that  400,000,000  cubic  feet  of  gas,  obtained  from  the  porous  under- 
lying strata  of  these  valleys  to  a  depth  of  3,000  feet,  were  consumed  daily, 
the  supply  would  last,  it  is  claimed,  for  127  years." 

RAW   MATERIAL. 

Next  comes  the  question  of  raw  material,  and  surely  no  words  of  mine 
are  necessary  to  convince  you  that  we  have  it.  I  could  talk  to<  you  for  hours 
upon  this  important  subject  and  not  mention  the  half  that  could  be  rold.  I 
could  tell  you  of  our  vast  deposits  of  salt  and  soda;  I  could  mention  our 
mountains  of  copper  and  iron  ore ;  I  could  call  your  attention  to  our  orarries 
of  beautiful  marble  and  onyx  and  granite ;  I  could  point  to  our  day  banks,  the 
product  of  which  is  so  largely  used  in  manufacturing  pottery,  bricks  and 
hollow  structural  material  for  modern  buildings,  and  to  our  ledges  of  lime- 
stone from  which  is  made  the  finest  quality  of  Portland  cement.  I  could  tell 
you  that  this  cement  was  not  made  in  California  until  1891,  when  ihe  entire 
product  of  that  year  amounted  to  $15,000,  and  that  in  1903  it  had  reached  the 
amount  of  $968,000.  You  have  seen  our  magnificent  forests,  which  enter  so 
largely  into  manufacturing;  and  in  this  connection  let  me  say  that  we  have 
right  here  on  the  Pacific  coast  practically  all  that  remains  of  the  world's  sup- 
ply of  white  and  sugar  pine,  so  much  in  demand  for  veneering  and  finishing; 
you  have  gazed  in  wonder  at  our  limitless  grain  fields  which  contribute  to 
the  manufacture  of  food  products ;  you  have  seen  our  sheep  grazing  on  our 
thousand  hills ;  you  have  been  shown  at  this  and  other  great  expositions  sam- 


208  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

pies  of  the  products  of  our  mines,  and  you  must  realize  that  in  many,  very 
many  respects  we  are  rich  in  material  for  home  manufactories. 

LABOR. 

Lastly  comes  the  question  of  labor ;  and  here  in  the  past  we  have  been 
handicapped,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  our  population.  But  this,  too,  is  some- 
thing that  will  quickly  and  easily  adjust  itself  with  the  development  of  this 
great  trans-Mississippi  region  and  the  rapid  increase  in  its  population.  And  it 
is  worthy  of  mention  also  that  our  climatic  conditions  mitigate  to  an  appre 
ciable  extent  this  drawback.  Here,  where  our  workmen  are  not  numbed  by 
the  cold  of  winter  or  enervated  by  the  heat  of  summer,  they  lose  less  time, 
and  accomplish  more  in  a  given  time  than  do  workmen  in  climates  where  less 
favored  conditions  prevail.  Neither  do  they  have  to  work  by  artificial  light, 
as,  owing  to  the  mildness  of  our  climate,  a  roof  is  practically  all  the  protec- 
tion necessary.  The  United  States  official  census  for  1900  states  that  the 
workmen  of  California  produce  32.9  per  cent  more  in  value  of  product,  and 
with  less  fatigue,  than  do  workers  in  the  eastern  states. 

And  now,  Mr.  President,  the  question  may  be  asked  "What  has  been 
accomplished  under  all  these  favorable  conditions  in  the  way  of  home  man- 
ufacturing?" It  is  a  reasonable  question,  and  a  natural  sequence  to  what  I 
have  said.  I  answer  it  cheerfully  and  although  inadequately,  with  pardonable 
pride. 

Much  has  been  done  and  is  being  done.  The  manufactured  product  of 
our  lumber  mills  ambitiously  and  successfully  compete  in  our  homo  mar- 
kets, and  for  the  large  and  rapidly  increasing  trade  in  the  Orient.  Our  grain 
is  being  manufactured  into  food  products  in  ever-increasing  quantities.  Our 
lumber  is  being  made  into  furniture  and  our  paper  mills  are  multiplying. 
We  are  building  ships  for  our  merchant  marine,  and  are  competing  with  the 
best  equipped  yards  of  the  east  and  of  Europe  in  the  construction  of  battle- 
ships and  cruisers. 

We  supply  the  world  with  canned  salmon,  and  our  condensed  milk  and 
cream  are  rapidly  obtaining  control  of  our  markets.  Our  woolen  mills,  our 
soap  factories,  our  cracker  and  confectionery  manufactories  and  our  cooper- 
age and  barrel  factories  are  increasing.  We  are  making  rope  and  twine  and 
cordage  and  tents  and  awnings;  our  machine  shops  are  making  machinery 
for  our  mills  and  for  our  various  manufacturing  industries. 

Every  year  more  and  more  of  our  agricultural  implements  are  made 
at  home.  We  point  with  pride  to  the  already  great  and  growing  industry 
of  manufacturing  sugar  from  our  sugar  beets.  Our  structural  material  which 
enters  so  largely  into  the  construction  of  our  buildings,  our  streets  and  roads, 
our  bridges  and  waterworks  is  successfully  competed  for  by  our  home 
manufactories. 

Our  wines,  brandies,  our  malt  liquors  and  our  olive  oil  are  successfully 
competing  with  the  foreign  product,  and  our  dried,  preserved  and  canned 
fruits  are  ho.usehold  necessities  in  many  parts  of  the  world. 

So  we  believe,  Mr.  President,  that  while  there  are  vast  undeveloped  pos- 
sibilities for  manufacturing  on  the  Pacific  coast,  that  would  prove  a  splendid 
investment  for  capital,  we  can  fairly  say  that  we  are  living  to  our  opportu- 
nities. But  if  we  would  continue  to  do  so  we  must  not  only  upon  occasions 
like  this  and  through  the  medium  of  such  gatherings  as  this,  but  upon  all 
occasions  and  in  every  legitimate  manner,  let  the  world  know  what  we 
have  in  this  great  west. 

And  right  here  it  seems  to  me  that  we  have  not  done  quite  all  that  we 
could  do.  Once  each  year,  shortly  before  our  annual  session,  a  vast  amount 
of  literature  and  data  relative  to  our  meeting  is  sent  out,  and  in  due  time 
after  the  Congress  has  adjourned  the  proceedings  are  published  in  book  or 
pamphlet  form.  This  is  good  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  does  not  go  far  enough. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  90  per  cent  of  the  literature  and  books  thus  distributed 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  209 

goes  to  people  already  residents  of  the  trans-Mississippi  region.  What  we 
should  do,  it  seems  to  me,  is,  by  continued,  persistent,  well-directed  effort,  try 
to  inform  the  people  of  other  sections  of  these  advantages  which  we  possess. 
It  may  be  said  that  this  is  being  done  by  the  different  states  and  territories 
comprising  the  trans-Mississippi  section  through  their  chambers  of  com- 
merce, promotion  committees  and  other  commercial  organizations.  Even  so, 
there  is  much  that  we  could  do  to  promote  and  stimulate  much  work.  Im- 
portant matters  are  considered  at  these  congresses,  and  such  consideration 
ehould  be  given  wide  publicity.  If  it  be  impossible  to  start  a  bureau  of  in- 
formation as  an  adjunct  of  this  Congress,  then  properly  edited  reports  of  our 
meetings  should  be  published  and  furnished  to  the  various  associations  of 
the  different  states  for  distribution,  thereby  serving  the  double  purpose  of 
reaching  people  whom  are  not  now  in  touch  with  us  and  creating  an  added 
interest  in  our  Congress. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  I  want  to  say  just  a  few  words  which,  while 
they  are  more  or  less  sentimental,  will,  I  believe,  meet  with  a  responsive  echo 
in  your  hearts.  I  have  alluded  to  the  fact  that  here  on  the  Pacific  coast  we 
are  competing  with  the  great  ship  yards  of  the  east  in  the  construction  01 
modern  battleships.  One  of  those  units  of  our  navy,  built  by  a  California 
shipbuilder,  is  named  after  this  great  state  of  Oregon ;  and  our  feeling  toward 
that  ship,  our  pride  in  that  product  of  home  manufacture,  is  best  expressed 
in  the  language  of  a  California  poet  who,  looking  into  the  future  with  the 
prophetic  eye  of  inspiration,  saw  the  dawn  of  that  glorious  day  when  war 
shall  have  become  a  thing  of  the  past,  a  memory  of  an  incomplete  civiliza- 
tion. In  speaking  of  the  things  worth  remembering  in  the  past,  as  we  speak 
now  of  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  and  other  enduring  monuments  of  our  race, 
he  says: 

"When  your  sons  shall  ask  what  the  guns  are  for 
Then  tell  them  the  tale  of  the  Spanish  war, 
Of  the  countless  millions  who  gazed  upon 
The  matchless  trip  of  the  Oregon." 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  211 


PERMANENT  MEMBERS 

1904-5 


ALASKA. 

Hon.  John  G.  Brady,  Governor,  Sitka. 
Edward  DeGroff,  Sitka. 

CALIFORNIA. 

Fred  J.   Koster,   San  Francisco. 

Hon.  Rufus  P.  Jennings,  San  Francisco. 

Ed.    Fletcher,    San   Diego. 

Hon.  H.   P.  Wood,   San  Diego. 

W.  H.  Weilbye,  Oakland. 

J.  G.  Loveran,  Eureka. 

C.  B.  Boothe,  Los  Angeles. 

COLORADO. 

Chas.   A.   Stokes,   Denver. 

Hon.  Fred  A.  Williams,  Denver. 

J.  P.  Hall,  Denver. 

Philip  Schuch,  Jr.,  Denver. 

Chas.  A.   Black,  Montrose. 

Nelson  Franklin,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

A.  A.  Rollestone,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

Frank  M.  Woods,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

Gen.  F.  A.  Reardon,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

W.  H.   Dingman,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

Chas.   H.  Waldron,  Victor,   Cripple  Creek  District. 

G.  E.  Copeland,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

J.  C.  Staats,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

Hon.  Paul  M.  North,  Goldfield,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

Arthur   F.    Francis,   Cripple   Creek,   District. 

C.  E.  Miesse,   Cripple  Creek  District. 
R.  A.  Airheart,  Cripple  Creek  District. 
W.  H.  Littell,  Cripple  Creek  District. 
P.   E.   C.   Burke,   Cripple  Creek  District. 
J.  M.   Parfet,  Cripple  Creek  District. 
Carl  Johnson,  Cripple  Creek  District. 
Geo.  F.  Fry,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

Hon.  T.  H.  Thomas,  Cripple  Creek  District. 
John  T.  Hawkins,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

D.  H.  Franks,  Cripple  Creek  District. 
Hon.  S.  A.  Phipps,  Cripple  Creek  District. 

IOWA. 
A.  E.  Johnstone,  Keokuk. 


212  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS 

KANSAS. 
Dr.  T.  C.  Frazier,  Coffeyville. 

LOUISIANA. 

Hon.  Chas.  K.  Fuqua,  Baton  Rouge. 
MONTANA. 

Alec.  Burrel,  Marysville. 

Hon.  Herbert  Strain,  Great  Falls. 

MINNESOTA. 
Benj.  F.  Beardsley,  St.  Paul. 
MISSOURI. 

Hon.  R.  C.  Kerens,  St.  Louis. 

F.  Ernest  Cramer,  St.  Louis. 

W.  H.  Elliot,  St.  Louis. 

Hon.  H.  R.  Whitmore,  St.  Louis. 

W.  D.  Simmons,  St.  Louis. 

Ben.  Altheimer,  St.  Louis. 

Prof.    H.    W.    Quaintance,   Columbia. 

Dr.  W.  A.  Kendall,  Poplar  Bluff. 

Dr.   J.    Philip    Kneche,    Kansas    City. 

NEBRASKA. 

Joseph  Hayden,  Omaha. 
Hon.  H.  T.  Clarke,  Omaha. 
John  A.  Scott,  Omaha. 

NORTH  DAKOTA. 
Hon.  N.  G.  Larimore,  Larimore. 

OKLAHOMA. 
J.  W.  Moore,  Pond  Creek. 

OREGON. 

Tom  Richardson,   Portland. 
R.  L.  Darrow,  Portland. 
Theo.   B.  Wilcox,   Portland. 
W.   M.   Ladd,    Portland. 

A.  L.   Mills,    Portland. 
Chas.  E.  Ladd,  Portland. 

B.  Neustadter,  Portland. 
Walter   F.   Burrell,    Portland. 
L.  A.  Lewis,  Portland. 

J.  Frank  Watson,   Portland. 
A.   H.    Devers,    Portland. 
Robert   Kennedy,   Portland. 
Robert  Livingstone,  Portland. 
W.   L.   Boise,   Portland. 
E.  M.  Brannick,  Portland. 
I.  N.  Fleischner,  Portland. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  213 


OREGON— Continued. 

E.  L.  Thompson,  Portland. 
W.   W.   Cotton,    Portland. 

E.  L.  Smith,  Hood  River. 

TEXAS. 

Chas.  R.  Kitchell,  Galveston. 
Hon.  Ed.  F.  Harris,  Galveston. 
Hon.  Walter  Gresham,  Galveston. 
Col.  D.  B.  Henderson,  Galveston. 

C.  W.  Hahl,  Houston. 

H.  F.  MacGregor,  Houston. 

D.  Woodhead,   Houston. 
W.   S.  Davidson,  Beaumont. 
W.    C.   Averill,    Beaumont. 
T.  A.  Langham,  Beaumont. 
W.  J.  Crawford,  Beaumont. 
J.  F.  Keith,  Beaumont. 

UTAH. 

Geo.  Romney,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Edwin  F.  Holmes,  Salt  Lake  City  (3). 

Hon.  John  Henry  Smith,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Geo.  A.  Smith,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Hon.  John  C.   Cutler,   Salt  Lake  City. 

Henry  Dinwoody,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Wm.  T.  Williams,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Abel  John  Evans,  Lehi. 

Hon.   Reed   Smoot,   Provo. 

Jesse  Knight,   Provo. 

John  R.   Barnes,  Kaysville. 

Wesley  K.  Walton,  Salt  Lake  City. 

M'.  F.  Cunningham,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Rudolph  Kochler,  Ogden. 

F.  W.   Tissburn,   Brigham. 
Webb  Greene,  Mt.  Pleasant. 

WASHINGTON. 

E.  W.   Purdy,   Bellingham. 
C.   V.   Nolte,   Bellingham. 
V.  A.  Roeder,  Bellingham. 
C.   E.   Gage,   Bellingham. 
Hon.  A.  L.   Black,   Bellingham. 

ILLINOIS. 

R.    R.    Bourland,   Secretary,    Peoria. 

Col.  Isaac  Taylor,  Peoria. 

Hon.  Truman  G.   Palmer,   Secretary,   Chicago. 

Hon.  Geo.  H.  Maxwell,  Chicago. 

Hon.  Frank  Wenter,  Chicago. 

NEW  YORK. 
Hon.   F.  B.  Thurber,  New  York  City. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


215 


LIST  OF   DELEGATES 

TO  THE 

Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress 


PORTLAND,  OREGON 

August  16  to  19,  1905 


The  following  were  appointed  delegates  to  represent  their  vari- 
ous sections  at  the  sixteenth  annual  session  Trans-Mississippi  Com- 
mercial Congress : 


ALASKA. 


John  R.  Dodson,  Circle  City. 
Randall  H.  Kemp,  Skagway. 


T.  R.  McHenry,  Malvern. 
N.  P.  Todd,  Little  Rock. 


S.  Oberfelder,  Phoenix. 
Geo.  H.  Kelly,  Bisbee. 
C.  E.  Taylor,  Globe. 
Walter  Talbot,  Phoenix. 
Fred  Nelson,  Winslow. 
O'Brien  Moore,  Tucson. 
J.  W.  Dorrington,  Yuma. 


W.  J.   Allen,  Teller. 


ARKANSAS. 


Hon.  M.  F.  Collier,  Paragould. 


ARIZONA. 


Andres  Rebeil,  Tucson. 
Miss  Lucy  T.  Ellis,  Phoenix. 
J.  W.  Benham,  Phoenix. 
Ramon  Soto,  Tucson. 
Frank  Dysart,  Solomonville. 
J.  C.  Goodwin,  Tenape. 


CALIFORNIA. 


J.  E.  Auzerais,  San  Jose. 

S.  E.  Moreland,  San  Jose. 

J.  L.  Stull,  San  Jose. 

Joseph  Hyland,  San  Jose. 

Rufus  P.  Jennings,  San  Francisco. 

Everett   N.   Bee,  San  Francisco. 

James  H.  Cassidy,  San  Diego. 

A.  C.  Rulofson,  San  Diego. 

J.  P.  Curries,  San  Diego. 

Ed.  Fletcher,  San  Diego. 

Charles  J.  Luttrell,  Yreka. 

C.  M.  Wooster,  San  Francisco. 


Hon.   P.  J.   van  Loben  Sells,   San 

Francisco. 

Hon.  J.  G.  Loveran,  Eureka. 
Hon.  J.  E.  Raker,  Alturas. 
J.  K.  T.  Wylie,  Cedarville. 
J.  F.  Lynit,  Alturas. 
Geo.  W.  Peltier,  Sacramento. 
Alfred  Holman,  Sacramento. 
W.   E.  Lovdal,  Sacramento. 
Chas.  F.  Curry,  Sacramento. 
Wm.  A.  Curtis,  Sacramento. 
Scipio  Craig,  Redlands. 


216 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


CALIFORNIA— Continued. 


W.  T.  Cressler,  Cedarville. 

O.  B.  Kane,  Canby. 

Dr.  L.  P.  Hall,  Dixon. 

Alexander  Gordon,  Sacramento. 

Chas.  A.  Wright,  Sacramento. 

Thos.    B.   Hall,   Sacramento. 

W.  A.   Beard,   Sacramento. 

Hon.  Peter  J.  Shields,  Sacramento. 

Lyman  M.  King,  Redlands. 

O.  L.  Moorman,  Riverside. 

Henry  Biggin,  Redlands. 

A.  R.  Patrick,  San  Francisco. 

H.  D.  Loveland,  San  Francisco. 

G.  W.  Dickie,  San  Francisco. 

E.  T.  Perkins,  Portland,  Or. 
G.  W.  Meals,  Lompoc. 

C.  B.  Brown,  Stockton. 

F.  H.  Gould,  San  Francisco. 

T.  W.  M.  Draper,  San  Francisco. 

Col.  C.  C.  Royce,  Chico. 

H.  W.   Furlong,   San  Francisco. 

Ed.  H.  Benjamin,  San  Francisco. 

Capt.  J.  Jensen,  San  Francisco. 

Robert  Gray,  San  Francisco. 

C.  B.  Boothe,  San  Francisco. 

J.  Clyde  Hizar,  San  Diego. 

J.   H.   Wills,   Sacramento. 

F.  P.  Meserve,  Redlands. 

C.  P.  Braslan,  San  Jose. 

John  W.  Aiken,  Selma. 

E.   Guppy,   San  Jose. 

Andrea  Sbarboro,  San  Francisco. 

Fred  J.   Koster,   San  Francisco. 

Hamilton  Wright,  San  Francisco. 

Isidor  Jacobs,  San  Francisco. 

E.  C.  Denniston,  San  Francisco. 

H.  M.  Cherry,  San  Diego. 


H.  P.  D.  Kingsbury,  Redlands. 
A.  Gregory,  Redlands. 
L.  C.  Waite,  Riverside. 
C.  M.  Wooster,  San  Jose. 
John  Markley,  Marysville. 
Frank  Salmons,  San  Diego. 
M.  E.  Dittmar,  Redding. 
W.  P.  Hammon,  Oroville. 

C.  M.  Carr,  Los  Angeles. 

E.  E.  S.  Woods,  Stockton. 

D.  S.  Fish,  Oakland. 
Louis  Tarke,  West  Butte. 
M.   C.   Zumwalt,  Tulare. 
C.  R.  Scott,  Tulare. 

J.  P.  Currier,  Tulare. 
John  Alex.  McRae,  Dixon. 
J.  F.  Ward,  Los  Angeles. 
W.  C.  Hargreaves,  Redlands. 

F.  G.  Feraud,  Redlands. 

Mrs.  Mary  Lynde  Craig,  Los  Angeles. 
L.  C.  Morehouse,  San  Leandro. 
Dr.  L.  P.  Hall,  Dixon. 
t  W.  J.  Curtis,  San  Bernardino. 

E.  M.  Cooley,  San  Bernardino. 
Geo.  P.  Dennis,  Ventura. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Hunning,  Ventura. 

John  Lagomarsino,  Ventura. 

A.  C.  Rulofson,  San  Francisco. 

C.  L.  Best,  San  Leandro. 

Wilbur  Walker,   Oakland. 

P.  O.  Eibe,  Willows. 

Geo.  C.  Power,  Ventura. 

T.   J.    Donovan,   Ventura. 

C.  F.  Winters,  Los  Angeles. 

Chas.  N.  Flint,  Los  Angeles. 

J.  A.  Reed,  Los  Angeles. 

T.   C.   Friedlander,   San  Francisco. 


COLORADO. 


Mrs.  I.  A.  Miller,  Warren. 

Hon.  E.  E.  Sommers,  Denver. 

A.  M.  Ghost,  Denver. 

Hon.  R.  W.  Boynge,  Denver. 

Fred  E.  Coe,  Denver. 

H.  P.  Spencer,  Denver. 

T.  J.  Sayler,  Lamar. 

D.  B.  Nowells,  Lamar. 

N.  Segil,  Cripple  Creek. 

Mrs.  E.  C.  Goddard,  Colorado  Sp'gs. 

Mrs.  T.  A.  McHarg,  Boulder. 

Dr.  Frank  Finney,  La  Junta. 

Isaac  Hoffman,  Leadville. 

J.  A.  Davis,  Boulder. 

Hon.  F.  R.  Wood,  Trinidad. 

Hon.  Frank  E.  Christy,  Telluride. 

Gen.   Frank  Hall,  Denver. 


W.  C.  Johnson,  Denver. 
Zeph.   Chas  Felt,  Denver. 
F.  H.  Brandenburg,  Denver. 
T.   C.  Henry,   Denver. 
John  McDonough,  Denver. 
F.  M.  Bisbee,  Denver. 
M.  I.  Conwell,  Lamar. 
H.  C.  White,  Hugo. 
W.  W.  Raser,  Cripple  Creek. 
Hon.  H.  M.  Hogg,  Telluride. 
Walter  L.  Wilder,  Pueblo. 
Mrs.  H.  E.  Churchill,  Greeley. 
Edward  Keating,  Denver. 
Ellis  Meredith,  Denver. 
A.  A.  Rollestone,  Victor. 
Col.  Wm.   Stapleton,  Denver. 
Richard  Road,  Jr.,  Denver. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


217 


COLORADO— Continued. 


H.  P.  Spencer,  Denver. 

Hon.  Jas.  Owen,  Cripple  Creek. 

W.  C.  Gould,  Lamar. 

Hon.  I.  B.  Mellville,  Denver. 

Austin  Holman,   Goldfield. 

James  McNeen,  La  Junta. 

Hon.  F.  A.  Williams,  Denver. 

J.  P.  Pasterieus,  Colorado  Springs. 

Hon.  F.  E.  Brooks,  Colorado  Springs. 

Sam  G.  Adams,  Steamboat  Springs. 

D.  R.  McArthur,  Greeley. 

C.  E.  Miesse,  Cripple  Creek. 

E.  M.  Ashley,  Denver. 
Paul  M.  North,  Goldfield. 
W.  H.  Dingman,  Victor. 
Frank  M.  Woods,  Victor. 
John  E.  Pelton,  Montrose. 
John  T.  Hawkins,  Cripple  Creek. 
Mrs.  H.  P.   Stephens,  Denver. 
T.  M.  Tomlinson,  Denver. 

Col.  A.  W.  Hogle,  Denver. 


S.  N.  Nye,  Colorado  Springs. 
Hon.  W.  A.  Hill,  Fort  Morgan. 
Mrs.  John  T.  Burns,  Denver. 
W.  G.  White,  Durango. 
Henry  C.  Watson,  Greeley. 
James  McNeen,  La  Junta. 
Hon.  Geo.  D.  Mestin,   Pueblo. 
C.  E.  Wantland,  Denver. 

B.  F.  Rockfellow,  Canyon  City. 

C.  B.  Schmidt,   Pueblo. 

W.  H.  Nortonk,  Cripple  Creek. 
C.  M.  Hoopes,  Cripple  Creek. 
John  F.  Shafroth,  Denver. 
Chas.  H.  Waldron,  Victor. 
Gen.  F.  A.  Reardon,  Victor. 
G.  E.  Copeland,  Victor. 
H.   P.  Spencer,  Denver. 
James  F.  Callbreath,  Jr.,  "Denver. 
Hon.  W.  F.  Hill,  Boulder. 
A.  L.  Fellows,  Denver. 


ILLINOIS. 


Hon.  C.  F.  Gunther,  Chicago. 
Chas.  Truax,  Chicago. 
Fred  C.  Austin,  Chicago. 
A.  H.  Boylan,  Portland,  Or. 


Geo.  W.  Sheldon,  Chicago. 
Hon.  Geo.  W.  Dickson,  Chicago. 
E.  F.  Waggoner,  Spokane,  Wash. 


IOWA. 


Lon  Bryson,  Davenport. 

Geo.  Pearsall,  Des  Moines. 

C.  D.  Ellis,  Charles  City. 

Hon.  C.  F.  Saylor,  Des  Moines. 

Hon.   Herbert  H.  Teachout,  Des 
Moines. 

W.  C.  DeLasshmutt,  Pacific  Junc- 
tion. 

A.   Everham>   Pacific  Junction. 

T.  F.  Baldwin,  Keokuk. 

Luke  Huiskamp,   Keokuk. 

Dr.  A.  W.  Trout,  Perry. 

J.  W.  Cory,  Spencer. 

A.  S.  Thompson,  Portland,  Or. 

Chas.  Cornelius,  Council  Bluffs. 

Chas.  M.  Martin,  Des  Moines. 

F.  P.  Woods,  Estherville. 

Chas.  L.  Early,  Sac  City. 

Robert  Fullerton,  Des  M'oines. 

W.  E.  Odell,  Des  Moines. 

H.  J.  Baird,  Malvern. 

M.   Franke,  Des  Moines. 

Geo.  P.  Neal,  Fort  Madison. 

A.  O.  B.  Courtright,  Waterloo. 


Hon.  C.  A.  Wise,  Cedar  Falls. 

John  Adams,  Dubuque. 

Sumner  Siberell,  Ottumwa. 

Hon.  J.  G.  Berryhill,  Des  Moines. 

Seth   Dean,   Glenwood. 

A.  E.  Johnstone,  Keokuk. 

W.  C.  Howell,  Keokuk. 

D.  J.  Ayres,   Keokuk. 

J.  C.  Hubinger,  Keokuk. 

Frank  B.  Cole,  Keokuk. 

Hon.  C.  G.  Thyle,  Emmetsburg. 

G.  M.  Hull,  Red  Oak. 

M.  J.  Wade,  Iowa  City. 

J.  L.  Kamrar,  Webster  City. 

Thos.  Lambert,  Sabula. 

Fred.   E.   Watkins,   Hawarden. 

Victor  Bander,  Council  Bluffs. 

H.  B.  Hedge,  Des  Moines. 

Edw.  E.  H.  Hunter,  Des  Moines. 

Hon.  A.  H.  Gale,  Des  Moines. 

Hon.  Henry   Stone,   Marshalltown. 

Hon.  John  Classen,  Marshalltown. 

Marquis  Barr,  Oskaloosa. 


218 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


IDAHO. 


S.  L.  Tipton,  Boise. 

G.  W.  Tannahill,  Lewiston. 

John    Gray,   Wallace. 

T.  J.   Humbird,   Sandpoint. 

M.  M.  McPherson,   Salmon. 

Alfred  Budge,  Montpelier. 

Jas.  E.  Babb,  Lewiston. 

H.  J.  Ross,  Wallace. 

Chas.  Shumaker,  Coeur  d'Alene. 

T.  R.   Hamar,   St.  Anthony. 

G.  C.  Robethan,  Blackfoot. 

Caleb  Jones,  St.  Anthony. 

J.  H.  Richards,  Boise. 

Robert  Schleicker,  Lewiston. 

John  P.  Vollmer,  Lewiston. 

Daniel  W.  Greenburg,  Lewiston. 


W.  B.  Stainton,  Lewiston. 

O.  A.  Lende,  Moscow. 

D.  W.  Standrod,  Pocatello. 

W.   E.  Wheeler,   Idaho   Falls. 

T.  H.  Brewer,  Genesee. 

Jas.  H.  Hawley,  Boise. 

F.  A.  David,  Moscow. 

F.   S.   Dietrich,   Pocatello. 

A.  A.  Crane,  Harrison. 

W.   W.   Brown,   Grangeville. 

William  Dollar,   Coeur  d'Alene. 

M.  E.  Lewis,  Moscow. 

John  S.   St.   Clair,  Murphy. 

John    R.    Good,    Boise. 

J.   T.   Stafford,   Boise. 

D.    B.    Hilbert,    Lewiston. 


INDIAN  TERRITORY. 


Hon.  Moman  Pruitt,  Pauls  Valley. 
Hon.  J.  B.  Alexander,  Pauls  Valley. 
J.  William   Speake,   Chickasha. 


Hon.  S.  J.  Garvin,  Pauls  Valley. 
Peter  Deichman,  Waggoner. 


KANSAS. 


Hon.  C.  C.  Nelson,  Fort  Scott. 

W.  W.  Manspeaker,  Topeka. 

A.  J.  White,  Effingham. 

W.  C.  Robinson,  Winfield. 

J.  J.  Brady,  Winfield. 

John  L.  Coons,  Manhattan. 

J.  S.  Hillerman,  Edna. 

Hon.  Frank  Vincent,  Hutchinson. 

Chas.  H.  Harbison,  Fort  Scott. 

C.  A.  Fellows,  Topeka. 

E.  G.  Hudson,  Newton. 

E.  C.  Peterson,  Edwardsville. 

C  E.  Sutton,  Russell. 

J.  B.  Prose,  Hoisington. 

Hon.  G.  C.  Sluss,  Wichita. 

Hon.  C.  D.  Davidson,  Wichita. 

Hon.  C.  G.  Cohn,  Wichita. 

W.  C.  Edwards,  Wichita. 

J.  D.  Milliken,  McPherson. 

L.  S.  Noftzer,  Wichita. 

W.  A.  Reeder,  Phillipsburg. 

J.  S.  Warner,  Topeka. 

Hon.  O.  H.  Bentley,  Wichita. 

Hon.  Finlay  Ross,  Wichita. 

Col.  Thos.  G.  Fitch,  Wichita. 

Foster  Brooke,  Wichita. 

U.  S.  Sartin,  Kansas  City. 

Jas.  F.  McCabe,  Topeka. 

Wm.  Metz,  Topeka. 

John  G.  Cooper,  Topeka. 

Sam  Kimble,  Manhattan. 

Mart  Croabarger,  Jefferson. 


Hon.  Wm.  Bolever,  Fort  Scott. 

Burg  E.  Zeis,  Topeka. 

Hon.   Elmer  Hoffman,   Leavenworth. 

P.  H.  Albright,  Winfield. 

O.  H.  Bevis,  Winfield. 

C.  H.  Holliday,  Topeka. 

Hon.  W.  Y.  Morgan,  Hutchinson. 

Hon.  H.  Whiteside,  Hutchinson. 

F.  D.  Coburn,  Topeka. 

John  E.  Frost,  Topeka. 

N.  P.  Waymire,  Garfield. 

Edwin  Taylor,  Edwardsville. 

C.  M.  Beeson,  Dodge  City. 

Hon.  W.  E.  Stanley,  Wichita. 

J.  H.  Black,  Wichita. 

Hon.  Frank  Bellow,  Wichita. 

R.  N.  Allen,  Chanute. 

C.  W.  Hull,  Kerwin. 

W.  A.  Harris,  Linwood. 

A.  J.  White,  Effingham. 

J.  A.  Troutman,  Topeka. 

C.  Q.  Chandler,  Wichita. 

Hon.  Victor  Murdock,  Wichita. 

Hon.  Thos.  C.  Wilson,  Wichita. 

H.  L.  Resing,  Wichita. 

Judge  T.  B.  Wall,  Wichita. 

Geo.  W.  Martin,  Topeka. 

Hon.  S.  S.  Rice,  Topeka. 

William  Ellsworth,  La  Cygne. 

F.  K.  Robbins,  Wellington. 

E.  Webb,  Wichita. 

J.  B.  Case,  Abilene. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


219 


LOUISIANA. 


Will  J.  Morgan,  New  Orleans. 
W.  H.  Benjamin,  Atherton. 
J.  Stein,  Alsatia. 
A.  McC.  Byrnes,  Afton. 

D.  Muir,  Newelton. 

A.  E.  Newton,  St.  Joseph. 

W.  M.  Davidson,  St.  Joseph. 

R.  H.  Snyder,  St.  Joseph. 

J.  M.  Nelson,  Welsh. 

W.  E.  Dunn,  Lake  Providence. 

Leo  Shields,  Stamboul. 

J.  M.  Johnson,  Tallulah. 

W.  H.  Murphy,  Tallulah. 

J.  T.  McClellan,  Tallulah. 

John  Dale,  Vidalia. 

Olie  Wilds,  Vidalia. 

C.  H.  C.  Brown,  New  Orleans. 

W.  E.  Hamilton,  Shreveport. 

Michael  Bernstein,  Shreveport. 

A.  J.  Ingersoll,  Shreveport. 

H.  W.  Ragan,  Ruston. 

J.  W.  Bolton,  Alexandria. 

Hon.  C.  C.  Cordill,  New  Orleans. 

Pearl  Wight,  New  Orleans. 

Judge  O.  O.  Provosty,  New  Orleans. 

Hon.  D.  M.  Pipes,  Jackson. 

Col.  W.  L.  Young  Shreveport. 

Hon.  O.  B.  Steele,  Baton  Rouge. 

Hon.  H.  C.  Warmoth,  Magnolia 

Plantation. 

Hon.  F.  P.  Stubbs,  Monroe. 
Hon.  D.  C.  Scarborough,  Natchi- 

toches. 

Hon.  Chas.  K.  Lewis,  Ruston. 
H.  B.  Chase,  Alexandria. 
Hon.  Chas.  Janvier,  New  Orleans. 
Gen.  S.  P.  Walmsley,  New  Orleans. 
Judge  J.  St.  Paul,  New  Orleans. 
Judge  A.  D.  Land,  Shreveport. 
Hon.  W.  L.  Foster,  Shreveport. 
Wm.  McCausland,  Baton  Rouge. 
Hon.  F.  B.  Williams,  Patterson. 
Capt.  H.  L.  McLain,  Monroe. 
Hon.  I.  D.  Wall,  Clinton. 
Leon  Irwin,  New  Orleans. 
M.  Manion,  New  Orleans. 
Geo.  G.  Frederichs,  New  Orleans. 
Augustus  Craft,  New  Orleans. 

E.  H.  Farrar,  New  Orleans. 
J.  A.  Rawlins,  New  Orleans. 
Max  Samson,  New  Orleans. 
Albert  Mackie,  New  Orleans. 
J.  R.  Downman,  New  Orleans. 
Lynn  H.  Dinkins,  New  Orleans. 


J.  M.  Nelson,  Welsh. 

H.  H.  Graham,  Transylvania. 

G.  M.  Long,  Delta. 

G.  C.  Goldman,  Waterproof. 

B.  B.  Parham,  L'Argent. 
Joseph  Curry,  St.  Joseph. 
Harrison  Stewart,  St.  Joseph. 
Geo.  Scott,  Black  Hawk. 

E.  J.  Hamley,  Lake  Providence. 
J.  E.  Ransdell,  Lake  Providence. 
W.  D.  Zeigler,  Tallulah. 
W.  M.  Scott,  Tallulah. 

C.  H.  Lucas,  Tallulah. 
J.  H.  Lambdin,  Vidalia. 
John  S.  Boatner,  Jr.,  Vidalia. 
C.  V.  Porter,  Baton  Rouge. 
S.  B.  Hicks,  Shreveport. 
Bryan  Ardis,  Shreveport. 
William  Winter,  Shreveport. 
Herman  Loeb,   Shreveport. 
Hon.  R.  A.  Hunter,  Alexandria. 
Gus  Lehman,  New  Orleans. 
Albert  Baldwin,  Jr.,  New  Orleans. 
Norvin  Harris,  New  Orleans. 
Judge  J.  A.  Breaux,  New  Orleans. 
Hon.  Paul  Sompayrac,  Jackson. 
Hon.  H.  C.  Stringfellow,  Shreveport. 
J.  D.  Shaffer,  Ellendale. 

Hon.  Porteus  Burke,  New  Iberia. 

Judge  A.  V.  Coco,  Marksville. 

Hon.  Adolph  Gondran,  Donaldson- 
ville. 

J.  L.  Conella,  Alexandria. 

Capt.  J.  W.  Bryant,  New  Orleans. 

Col.  Elmer  Wood,  New  Orleans. 

Hon.  W.  W.  Heard,  New  Orleans. 

Frank  Roberts,  Lake  Charles. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Scott,  Shreveport. 

Hon.  S.  Q.  Hollingsworth,  Shreve- 
port. 

Hon.  A.  Kaplan,  Crowley. 

Hon.  T.  J.  Labbe,  St.  Martinville. 

Hon.  J.  H.  Lewis,  Opelousas. 

Hon.  C.  A.  Poirson,  Jeanerette. 

C.  A.  Hartwell,  New  Orleans. 

E.  T.  Merrick,  New  Orleans. 

J.  H.  Aitken,  New  Orleans. 

John  Dymond,  Jr.,  New  Orleans. 

C.  I.  Denechaud,  New  Orleans. 

Leon  G.  Gibbert,  New  Orleans. 

E.  B.  Cushing,  New  Orleans. 

W.  H.  Byrnes,  New  Orleans. 

C.  Wernicke,  New  Orleans. 

A.  Estopinal,  Estopinal. 


220 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


MINNESOTA. 


Hon.  H.  S.  Shipstead,  Glennwood. 

Hon.  O.  F.  Shun,  Glennwood. 

Dr.  N.  M.  Watson,  Red  Lake  Falls. 

Hon.  Chas.  Kenkele,  Walker. 

John  Kingsley,   Pipestone. 

T.  A.  Abbott,  St.  Paul. 

Armand  Albrecht,  St.  Paul. 

H.  T.  Black,  St.  Paul. 

Louis  Betz,  St.  Paul. 

John  Coulfield,  St.  Paul. 

Gen.  H.  W.  Childs,  St.  Paul. 

M.  J.  Costello,  St.  Paul. 

G.  M.  D.  Flower,  St.  Paul. 

J.  H.  Lewis,  St.  Paul. 


Hon.  C.  P.  Reeves,  Glennwood. 
Hon.  Samuel  Olson,  Glennwood. 
Hon.  Geo.  S.  Chesterman,  Crookston. 
Jos.  Lockey,  St.  Paul. 
G.  S.  Loftus,  St.  Paul. 
C.  J.  McConville,  St.  Paul. 
J.  M.  Nolan,  St.  Paul. 
A.  W.  Perry,  St.  Paul. 

A.  K.  Pruden,  St.  Paul. 

B.  H.  Scriber,  St.  Paul. 
Chas.  R.  Smith,  St.  Paul. 
Geo.  Sommers,  St.  Paul. 
Henry  E.  Hutchings,  St.  Paul. 


MONTANA. 


S.  S.  Hobson,  Lewiston. 
E.  E.  Moore,  Anaconda. 
E.  B.  Wegner,  Great  Falls. 
Chas.  Wegner,  Great  Falls. 
David  G.  Browne,  Fort  Benton 
Walter  Matheson,  Helena. 
W.  C.  Irwin,  Stockett. 
Thomas  Everett,  Harlem. 


Herbert  Strain,  Great  Falls. 

W.  M.  Knapp,  Dillon. 

A.  E.  Flagler,  Red  Lodge. 

P.  B.  Moss,  Billings. 

Alec  Burrell,  Marysville. 

P.  G.  Abramson,  Shelby  Junction. 

James  Donovan,  Craig. 


MISSOURI. 


Geo.  T.  Parker,  St.  Louis. 

Dave  Mensuer,  Norborne. 

J.  W.  Hale,  Hamilton. 

A.  H.  Carter,  Dexter. 

Geo.  T.  Meberly,  Humphreys. 

M.  L.  Anderson,  Cetetesville. 

Ross  B.  Cauthorn,  Mexico. 

Jacob  H.  Burgan,  Higginsville. 

Otto  L.  Teichmann,  St.  Louis. 

L.  D.  Kingsland,  St.  Louis. 

C.  F.  Liebke,  St.  Louis. 

W.  H.  Roscher,  St.  Louis. 

L.  K.  Robbins,  St.  Louis. 

Wm.  E.  Little,  St.  Louis. 

R.  F.  Spencer,  St.  Louis. 

P.  C.  Sparks,  St.  Louis. 

H.  S.  Tuttle,  St.  Louis. 

H.  J.  Bube,  St.  Louis. 

Hon.  J.  W.  Noble,  St.  Louis. 

Hon.  David  R.  Francis,  St.  Louis. 

H.  C.  Lomax,  Linneus. 

H.  B.  Topping,  Kansas  City. 

E.  E.  Yates,  Kansas  City. 


S.  F.  Scott,  Kansas  City. 

E.  F.  Allen,  Kansas  City. 

T.  T.  Crittenden,  Kansas  City. 

J.  W.  Lewis,  St.  Louis. 

W.  G.  McConslard,  Lexington. 

P.  J.  Hainey,  Barnard. 

J.  T.  Wilson,  Sweet  Springs. 

Samuel  Gill,  Perry. 

Green  Clay,  Mexico. 

R.  M.  Philips,  Sikeston. 

Hon.  Robert  Reynolds,  Marshall. 

C.  P.  Walbridge,  St.  Louis. 

Julius  Lesser,  St.  Louis. 

James  T.  Horan,  St.  Louis. 

Fred  G.  Zeibig,  St.  Louis. 

Ernest  Cramer,  St.  Louis. 

L.  Garvey,  St.  Louis. 

Homer  P.  Knapp,  St.  Louis. 

Wm.  P.  Kennett,  St.  Louis. 

W.  L.  Kingdon,  St.  Louis. 

Chas.  F.  Ziebold,  St.  Louis. 

W.  H.  Danforth,  St.  Louis. 

E.  E.  E.  Mcjimsey,  St.  Joseph. 


NEBRASKA. 


H.  H.  Nicholson,  Omaha. 
Geo.  W.  Jackson,  Fairmont. 
O.  P.  Hendershot,  Hebron. 
J.   H.   Rushton,   Fairmont. 


C.  H.  Wilson,  Beaver  City. 
Hon.  S.  N.  Wolback,  Grand  Island. 
Hon.  J.  H.  Davis,  Gibbon. 
W.  C.  Caley,  Creighton. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


221 


NEBRASKA— Continued. 


H.  A.  Kufus,  Ravenna. 
Hon.  J.  H.  Arends,  Syracuse. 
J.  F.  Dryden,  Kearney. 
C.  J.  Guenzel,  Lincoln. 
Arthur  C.  Smith,  Omaha. 
Joseph  Matusek,  Brainerd. 
M.  F.  Stanley,  Aurora. 
W.  F.  Freeman,  Auburn. 
Chas.  H.  Wilson,  Beaver  City. 
C.  A.  Wenstrand,  Wahoo. 
Thad.  Irwin,  Omaha. 
G.  W.  E.  Dorsey,  Fremont. 
C.  H.  Dietrich,  Hastings. 
C.  B.  Anderson,  Crete. 
Geo.  D.  Meisner,  Crete. 
W.  L.  Class,  Omaha. 
Clarke  L.  Johnson,  Omaha. 
W.  S.  Wright,  Omaha. 
Clarke  S    Young,  Broken  Bow. 
W.  K.  Wakefield,  Wakefield. 


W.  A.  Fogg,  Reno. 

D.  W.  O'Connor,  Reno. 


Hon.  W.  H.  Harrison,  Grand  Island. 

Col.  C.  W.  Kaley,  Red  Cloud. 

Hon.  C.  F.  Steele,  Fairbury. 

Joseph  Hayden,  Omaha. 

M.  I.  Aitken,  Lincoln. 

S.  H.  Gushee,  Osceola. 

C.  E.  Burnham,  Norfolk. 

Hon.  Jas.  B.  Maclay,  Auburn. 

Dr.  C.  F.  Ballard,  Havelock. 

Wm.  Kay,  Wakefield. 

Hon.  G.  L.  Loomis,  Fremont. 

Hon.  A.  E.  Cady,  St.  Paul. 

E.  F.  Porter,  Omaha. 

C.  E.  Burnham,  Norfolk. 

Henry  T.  Clark,  Omaha. 

Thos.  O'Day,  Omaha. 

W.  N.  Parcel,  Wellfleet. 

John  J.  Trompen,  Omaha. 

S.  S.  Clarkson,  Omaha. 

J.  H.  Presson,  Milford. 


NEVADA. 


E.  L.  Williams,  Reno. 
A.  H.  Manning,  Reno. 


NEW   MEXICO. 


R.  E.  Twitchell,  Las  Vegas. 

F.  H.  Pierce,  Las  Vegas. 

C.  J.  Gavin,  Raton. 

C.  M.  Bayne,  Raton. 

H.  J.  Hagerman,  Roswell. 

Joe  Prewitt,  Aztec. 

W.  G.  Tight,  Albuquerque. 

A.  N.  Pratt,  Carlsbad. 

A.  B.  Renehan,  Santa  Fe. 

W.  H.  Newcombe,  Silver  City. 

Dr.  G.  R.  Engledow,  Raton. 

A.  R.  Gibson,  Santa  Fe. 

A.  Pruitt,  Roswell. 

I.  K.  McGaffey,  Roswell. 


Frank  Springer,  Las  Vegas. 
E.  J.  Vert,  Las  Vegas. 
W.  C.  Wrigley,  Raton. 
G.  A.  Richardson,  Roswell. 
J.  J.  Corbett,  Deming. 
Luther  Foster,  Las  Cruces. 
Don  H.  Kedzie,  Lordsburg. 
L.  O.  Fullen,  Carlsbad. 
J.  P.  Victory,  Santa  Fe. 
W.  B.  Walton,  Silver  City. 
Hon.  L.  B.  Prince,  Santa'  Fe. 
Joseph  Keuhls,  Silver  City. 
A.  M.  Robertson,  Roswell. 
A.  Hanney,  Roswell. 


NORTH  DAKOTA. 


E.  A.  Williams,  Bismarck. 
T.  L.  Beiseker,  Fessenden. 

D.  E.  Willard,  Fargo. 

E.  F.  Chandler,  Grand  Forks. 
W.  R.  Kellogg,  Jamestown. 
John  F.  Wallace,  Bismarck. 


T.  S.  Underbill,  Antelope. 
C.  H.  Davidson,  Carrington. 
W.  H.  Robinson,  Mayville. 
W.  H/  Stelle,  Rolla. 
N.  G.  Larimore,  Larimore. 


OKLAHOMA. 


Ed  L.  Peckham,  Oklahoma  City. 
J.  W.  Maher,  El  Reno. 
S.  M.  Gloyd,  Oklahoma  City. 
D.  B.  Shear,  Oklahoma  City. 


John  Embry,  Chandler. 
J.  L.  Wilkins,  Oklahoma  City. 
Weston  Atwood,  Oklahoma  City. 
Chas.  E.  Jones,  Kingfisher. 


222 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


OKLAHOMA— Continued. 


Leander  Martin,  Watonga. 
A.  F.  Harrington,  Guthrie. 
J.  W.  White,  Kingfisher. 
A.  J.  Lay,  Kingfisher. 


J.  C.  Fisher,  O'Keene. 
H.  R.  Calvin,  Chandler. 
O.  N.  Weiser,  Edmond. 
Hon.  Henry  Lassen,  El  Reno. 


OREGON. 


Hon.  H.  V.  Gates,  Hillsboro. 

Dr.  F.  J.  Bailey,  Hillsboro. 

Dr.  F.  A.  Bailey,  Hillsboro. 

Chas.  Pfeiffer,  Albany. 

J.  K.  Weatherford,  Albany. 

J.  R.  Wyatt,  Albany. 

Edward  Fraser,  Ontario. 

J.  G.  Graham,  Salem. 

M.  Bredemier,  Salem. 

G.  F.  Rodgers,  Salem. 

Hon.  J.  C.  Clinton,  Astoria. 

Hon.  J.  L.  Henderson,  Hood  River. 

C.  H.  McCullpch,  Sumpter. 

F.   A.   Micelli,   Roseburg. 

L.  Wimberly,  Roseburg. 

Hon.  E.  W.  Haines,  Forest  Grove. 

A.  G.  Hoffman,  Forest  Grove. 

Harry  Haynes,  Forest  Grove. 

W.  N.  Ferrin,  Forest  Grove. 

Hon.  W.  K.  Newell,  Forest  Grove. 

F.  E.  Dunn,  Echo. 
J.  B.  Saylor,  Echo. 
O.  D.  Teel,  Echo. 
Fred  Andrews,  Echo. 
J.  F.  McNaught,  Echo. 

A.  B.  Steinbach,  Portland. 

G.  W.  Allen,  Portland. 
J.  M.  Moore,  Portland. 
Joseph  Friedenthai,  Portland. 
Leo  Peterson,  Portland. 

E.  B.  Duffy,  Portland. 
Willis  Fisher,  Portland. 
Wallis  Nash,   Portland. 
H.  M.  Brunson,  Portland. 
Sol  Harris,  Portland. 

F.  A.  Watts,  Portland. 

A.  W.  Cauthorn,  Portland. 

A.  M.  Cannon,  Salem. 

S.   T.   Richardson,  Salem. 

F.  A.  Seufert,  The  Dalles. 

E.   J.   Frazier,  Eugene. 

C.  D.  Gabrielson,  Salem. 

E.  H.  Croisan,  Salem. 

J.  L.  Simpson,  North  Bend. 

J.  S.  Beall,  Portland. 

C.  W.  Ransom,  Portland. 

Chas.  Grissom,  McMinnville. 

E.  C.  Apperson,  McMinnville. 

Dr.  J.  C.  Smith,  Pendleton. 

E.  P.  Dodd,  Pendleton. 


F.  M.  Heidel,  Hillsboro. 

P.  A.  Young,  Albany. 

J.  J.  Graham,  Albany. 

J.  B.  Blackaby,  Ontario. 

Hon.  F.  W.  Waters,  Salem. 

J.  H.  McNary,  Salem. 

H.  A.  Johnson,  Salem. 

Hon.  J.  H.  Smith,  Astoria. 

Hon.  G.  T.  Baldwin,  Klamath  Falls. 

A.  H.  Boylan,  Portland. 

B.  Burgunder,  Colfax. 
F.  J.  Blakely,  Roseburg. 
Hon.  L.  C.  Taylor,  Pendleton. 
Frank  O'Neill,  Lebanon. 

H.  Goff,  Forest  Grove. 
John  Drucks,  Lebanon. 
H.  Gordon,  Eugene. 
J.  W.  Griffith,  Eugene. 
R.  W.  McMurphy,  Eugene. 
E.  H.  Ingham,  Eugene. 
Fred  Chambers,  Eugene. 

C.  U.  Willis,  Echo. 

R.  N.  Stanfield,  Echo. 
Seneca  Smith,  Portland. 
M.    Mortensen,    Portland. 

C.  H.   Meussdorffer,   Portland. 

D.  C.  Burns,  Portland. 
Daniel  McAllen,  Portland. 
Tom  Richardson,  Portland. 
Thos.  Guinean,  Portland. 
W.  A.  Munly,  Portland. 
M.  H.  McMonies,  Portland. 
M.  A.  Raymond,  Portland. 
Wm.  Foley,  Portland. 

E.  Hofer,  Salem. 
Geo.  Collins,  Salem. 
W.  A.  Wash,  Dallas. 
Bert  Huffman,  Pendleton. 

E.  J.  Kaiser,  Ashland. 
S.  L.  Kline,  Corvallis. 

Dr.  J.  Withycombe,  Corvallis. 
J.  F.  Allen,  Oorvallis. 
Peter  Loggie,  North  Bend. 
A.  S.  Blinton,  Medford. 
John  Wotman,  McMinnville. 

F.  D.  Culver,  McMinnville. 
W.  J.  Furnish,  Pendleton. 
J.  H.  Raley,  Pendleton. 

A.  D.  Stillman,  Pendleton. 

B.  F.  Rhodes,  McMinnville. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


223 


OREGON — Continued. 


Walter  Pierce,  Pendleton. 
J.  W.   Perkins,  Medford. 
R.  F.  Miller,  McMinnville.  • 
C.  C.  Murton,  McMinnville. 
Bert  Huffman,  Pendleton. 
S.  A.  Lowell,  Pendleton. 
Daniel  Boone,  Lakeview. 
S.  F.  Ahlstrom.  Lakeview. 
J.  N.  Watson,  Lakeview. 
J.  Frank  WTatson,  Portland. 
T.  J.  Boone,  Enterprise. 
Allen  Lewis,   Portland. 
I.  Lang,  Portland. 
Sam  Connell,  Portland. 
Col.  T.  M.  Anderson,  Portland. 
J.  D.  Matlock,  Eugene. 
Darwin  Bristow,  Eugene. 
David  M.  Dunne,  Portland. 

E.  H.  Kilham,  Portland. 
W.  H.  McMonies,  Portland. 
Fletcher  Lynn,  Portland. 

C.  U.  Gantenbein,  Portland. 
Chas.  Cooper,  Portland. 
John  Montague,  Portland. 

F.  D.  Knight,  Portland. 

Dr.  Roland  D.  Grant,  Portland. 
Dr  J.  P.  Tamisie,  Hillsboro. 
B.  P.  Cornelius,  Hillsboro. 


F.  W.  Fenton,  McMinnville. 
T.  C.  Taylor,  Pendleton. 
T.  G.  Hailey,  Pendleton. 

G.  S.  Hartman,  Pendleton. 
J.  Q.  Willits,  Lakeview. 
Geo.  B.  Wharton,  Lakeview. 
W.  B.  Root,  Cottage  Grove. 
S.  B.  Chandler,  Lakeview. 
T.  D.  Honeyman,  Portland. 
Robert  Inman,  Portland. 
Alex  Kerr,  Portland. 

W.  H.  Corbett,  Portland. 
A.  L.  Mills,  Portland. 
W.  R.  Mackenzie,  Portland. 
Julius  Durkheimer,  Portland. 
S.  M.  Yoran,  Eugene. 

F.  W.  Osborn,  Eugene. 
S.  H.  Friendly,  Eugene. 

G.  Y.  Harry,  Portland. 
V.  Van  Dusen,  Astoria. 
W.  W.  Steiwer,  Fossil. 
Simon  Wolf,  Portland. 
C.  H.  Dye,  Oregon  City. 
L.  J.  Rouse,  Enterprise. 
Frank  Loise,  Marshfield. 
A.  King  Wilson,  Portland. 
R.  L.  Cate,  Portland. 

E.  L.  Willis,  Echo. 


SOUTH  DAKOTA. 


Hon.  W.  S.  Hamilton,  Belle  Fourche. 

W.  N.  Brown,  Woonsocket. 

A.  N.  Waters,  Desmet. 

G.  A.  Mathews,  Long  Beach,  Cal. 

C.   L.    Hyde,    Pierre. 

Isaac  Lincoln,  Aberdeen. 


S.  W.  Huntington,  Aberdeen. 
H.  G.  Tildon,  Vermillion. 
H.  T.  Cooper,  Whitewood. 
Frank  Morris,  Huron. 
John  Wolzmuth,  Spearfish. 
A.  H.  Maxwell,  Belle  Fourche. 


TEXAS. 


W.  H.  Stark,  Orange. 

Hon.  W.  F.  Mitchell,  Marfa. 

S.  B.  Strong,  Houston. 

Dr.  J.  G.  Boyd,  Houston. 

R.  W.  Flournoy,  Houston. 

Gus  Schulte,  Houston. 

H.  T.  Staiti,  Houston. 

Col.  D.  B.  Henderson,  Galveston. 

C.  W.  White,  Waco. 

E.  F.  Harris,  Galveston. 
C.  R.  Woodson,  Stamford. 
J.  A.  Milroy,  Houston. 
Jesse  Andrews,  Houston. 
J.   F.   Keith,  Beaumont. 
J.   M.   Cotton,  Houston. 

J.  M.  Coleman,  Houston. 

F.  E.  Pye,  Houston. 
Bryan  Heard,  Houston. 


R.  D.  Gribble,  Houston. 

D.  Woodhead,  Houston. 

J.  B.  Bowles,  Houston. 

Win.  H.  Olscgewske,  Houston. 

Hon.  E.  Harris,  Galveston. 

*L.   Halbert,  Corsiciana. 
.  W.  Stanton,  El  Paso. 
W.   E.  Richard,  Fairfield. 
R.   D.   Gribble,  Houston. 
J.   C.   Lackland,  El  Paso. 
O.  P.  Woodburn,  Houston. 
A.  P.  Coles,  El  Paso. 
W.   F.   Felton,  Dalhart. 
J.    H.   Kirby,  Houston. 
Adam  Clay,  Houston. 
D.  R.  Beatty,  Houston. 
Dr.   W.   Eckhardt,   Houston. 
J.   L.   Edmondson,  Houston. 


224 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


TEXAS— Continued. 


H.  W.  Stude,  Houston. 

Will  Giles,  Houston. 

Walter  H.  Harper,  Houston. 

C.  H.  Milby,  Houston. 

J.  W.  Riggins,  Houston. 

J.   W.   Scott,  Houston. 

H.  L.  Huebele,  Houston. 

Capt.  Wm.  Christian,  Houston. 

John  Lyons,  Houston. 

Henry  C.  House,  Houston. 

Ed  S.  Phelps,  Houston. 

Joe  H.  Eagle,  Houston. 

J.  W.  Cleveland,  Houston. 

W.  F.  Cleveland,  Houston. 

Gus  C.  Street,  Houston. 

Dr.  Wm.  Brumbey,  Houston. 

John  W.  Gaines,  Bay  City. 

J.  C.  Lackland,  El  Paso. 

J.  M.  Dean,  El  Paso. 

R.  J.  Kerr,  El  Paso. 

H.  C.  Myles,  El  Paso. 

J.  S.  Steely,  Santa  Monica,  Cal. 

J.  C.  Roussel,  Houston. 

Eugene  A.  Hawkins,  Galveston. 

J.  W.  Vogler,  Houston. 

Dr.  E.  W.  Brown,  Orange. 


T.  Pillot,  Houston. 

Thos.  H.  Bonner,  Houston. 

L.  B.  Menefee,  Houston. 

E.    R.   Spotts,  Houston. 

Dr.  C.  C.  Barrell,  Houston. 

Col.  R.  M.  Johnston,  Houston. 

M.  A.  Wescott,  Houston. 

I.   E.   Dean,  Houston. 

C.   W.   Hahl,  Houston. 

E.   L.   Dennis,  Houston. 

Ed  W.  Larendon,  Houston. 

T.  J.  Anderson,  Houston. 

Geo.  Mellinger,  Houston. 

I.   M.   Standifer,  Houston. 

J.  K.  Foley,  Houston. 

Chas.   W.   Taylor,  Houston. 

H.  P.  Noake,  Long  Beach,  Cal. 

J.  F.  Mitchim,  El  Paso. 

Gen.  J.  Blanco,  El  Paso. 

A.  W.  Reeves,  El  Paso. 

W.    H.    Stark,  Orange. 

E.   W.  Brown,  Orange. 

Hon.  T.  S.  Reed,  Beaumont. 

Henry  D.  Keith,  Beaumont. 

Ben  Irby,  Beaumont. 

J.  W.  Mackey,  Beaumont. 


UTAH. 


C.  N.  Strevell. 

W.  J.  Tuddenham. 

Leon  Sweet. 

Geo.    P.   Holman. 

F.  J.  Hewlett. 

Joseph  Seanford,  Ogden. 

W.  W.  McLaughlin,  Logan. 

Chas.  A.  Henry,  Ogden. 

E.  A.  Hartenstein,  Salt  Lake  City. 

F.  J.  Hewlett,  Salt  Lake  City. 
L.  J.  Wood,  Salt  Lake  City. 

G.  D.  Daen,  Salt  Lake  City. 
J.   E.   Hansen,  Salt  Lake  City. 
John  Henry  Smith,  Salt  Lake  City. 
W.  W.  Williams,  Salt  Lake  City. 


Geo.  E.  Wooley,  Salt  Lake  City. 

John   Q.   Critchlow. 

Rulon  S.  Wells. 

A.  E.  Wallace. 

Thomas  Hobday. 

John  Dern. 

Hon.  E.   D.   Miller,  Salt  Lake  City. 

Hon.   C.  A.   Callis,  Coalville. 

A.  F.  Barnes,  Salt  Lake  City. 

E.   H.   Davis,  Salt  Lake  City. 

L.  D.  Martin,  Salt  Lake  City. 

C.   W.    Penrose,  Salt  Lake  City. 

M.  L.  M.  Cannon,  Salt  Lake  City. 

P.    Q.    Nielson,  Draper. 

Chas.  J.  Ross,  Ogden. 


WASHINGTON. 


A.  H.  Hause,  Puyallup. 
E.  F.  Wagoner,  Spokane. 
R.   L.   McCormick,  Tacoma. 
J.  H.   Blodel,  Bellingham. 
Elias  Payne,  Olympia. 
Arvid  Rydstrom,  Tacoma. 
E.   M.   Rands,  Vancouver. 
R.  A.   Ballinger,  Seattle. 
W.  J.   Davenport,  Colfax. 


Hon.    Austin  Mires,  Ellensburg. 
Geo.  H.  Emerson,  Hoquiam. 
C.  F.  White,  Seattle. 
Joseph  Sessions,  Davenport. 
Fred  W.  Anderson,  Davenport. 
J.   R.   Stevenson,  Pomeroy. 
Gilbert  Hunt,  Walla  Walla. 
G.   P.  Wright,  Tacoma. 
C.  H.  Emerson,  Hoquiam. 
A.  E.   Barnes,  Spokane. 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


225 


WASHINGTON— Continued. 


J.  E.  Humphries,  Seattle. 
J.  T.  Welsh,  South  Bend. 
O.  A.  Fletcher,  North  Yakima. 
Floyd  M.  Daggett,  Spokane. 
Rev.  A.   H.   Hause,  Puyallup. 
Hon.  N.  T.  Caton,  Davenport. 
Hon.  A.  L.  Black,  Bellingham. 
Hon.   G.  E.   Gage,  Bellingham. 
Hon.  C.  F.  Nolte,  Bellingham. 
E.  F.  Waggoner,  Spokane. 
Thomas  Hooker,  Spokane. 
W.  D.  Nicholls,  Spokane. 
Walter  B.  Moore,  Walla  Walla. 
A.  P.  Leonard,  South  Bend. 
T.  J.  Kelley,  Olympia. 
J.  W.  Kleeb,  South  Bend. 
E.  E.  Johnston,  Portland,  Ore. 
J.  S.  Whitehouse,  Tacoma. 


E.  D.  Reiter,  Davenport. 

J.  W.   Remaine,  Bellingham. 

J.   H.   Bloedel,  Bellingham. 

Wm.  Jones,  Tacoma. 

J.  E.  Calder,  Montesano. 

Hon.  V.  A.  Roeder,  Bellingham. 

Hon.   E.   W.   Purdy,  Bellingham. 

J.   E.   Lease,  Centralia. 

William  Scales,  Centralia. 

Henry  Bernard,  Spokane. 

Wm.  H.  Kirkman,  Walla  Walla. 

M.   D.   Walters,  Walla  Walla. 

Hon.  M.  C.  Moore,  Walla  Walla. 

W.   P.   Cressy,  South  Bend. 

W.   S.   Cram,  Raymond. 

Frank  B.  Cole,  Tacoma. 

Frank  W.  Hibbs,  Seattle. 

J.  B.  Miekle,  Seattle. 


WYOMING. 


T.  R.  Smith,  Encampment. 
E.  L.  Emery,  Rock  Springs. 
A.   J.   Cunningham,  Casper. 
Geo.  H.  Nagle,  Cheyenne. 
Tim  Kinney,  Rock  Springs. 
G.  W.  Metcalf,  Douglas. 
Frank  Beckwith,  Evanston. 
Milo  Adams,  Sundance. 
A.  L.  Duhig,  Thermopolis. 
W.  J.  Thorn,  Buffalo. 


H.  S.  Brodt,  Rawlins. 
J.  M.  Schwoob,  Cody. 
T.  A.  Cosgriff,  Cheyenne. 
A.   R.   Couzins,  Rock  Springs. 
E.   R.   Dinwiddie,  Sheridan. 
Robert  Morris,  Greenriver. 
D.   A.   Nichols,  Newcastle. 
A.   C.  Thomas,  Meeteetse. 
O.  G.  Nickerson,  Lander. 


WISCONSIN. 


August  Nihlein,  Milwaukee. 

T.  J.  Neacy,  Milwaukee. 

Capt.  F.  H.  Madgeburg,  Milwaukee. 

O.   H.   Ingram,  Eau  Claire. 


Ben  Lenzarder,  Milwaukee. 
Chas.  Sammond,  Milwaukee. 
Trios.  Barden,  Ashland. 
W.  W.  Strickland,  Superior. 


The  states  represented  by  delegations  appointed  by  the  gover- 
nors are  as  follows: 


California — Hon.    Geo.    C.    Pardee, 
governor. 

Colorado — Hon.  Jesse  F.   McDon- 
ald, governor. 

Iowa — Hon.    Albert    S.    Cummins, 
governor. 

Idaho — Hon.    Frank    R.    Gooding, 
governor. 

Kansas — Hon.    E.    W.    Hoch,   gov- 
ernor. 

Louisiana — Hon.  N.  C.  Blanchard,      Otero,  governor, 
governor. 


Missouri — Hon.  Joseph  W.  Folk, 
governor. 

Montana — Hon.  J.  R.  Toole,  gov- 
ernor. 

Minnesota — Hon.  John  A.  Johnson, 
governor. 

Nebraska — Hon.  John  H.  Mickey, 
governor. 

North  Dakota— Hon.  E.  Y.  Sarles, 

New     Mexico — Hon.     Miguel     A. 


226 


REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 


Oregon — Hon.  Geo.  H.  Chamber- 
lain, governor. 

Oklahoma — Hon.  T.  B.  Ferguson, 
governor. 

South  Dakota — Hon.  S.  H.  Elrod, 
governor. 

Texas — Hon.  Samuel  W.  T.  Lan- 
ham,  governor. 


Utah — Hon.  John  C.  Cutler,  gov- 
ernor. 

Washington — Hon.  Albert  E. 
Mead,  governor. 

Wisconsin — Hon.  Robert  W.  La 
Follette,  governor. 

Wyoming — Hon.  B.,  B.  Brooks 
governor. 


The  following  cities  were  represented,  the   appointments  being 
made  by  the  mayor  of  each  city. 

Transylvania,  Lake  Providence,  Tal- 
lulah,  Newelton,  L'Aryght,  Atherton, 
Vidalia,  Alsatia,  Delta,  Afton,  Water- 
proof, Blackhawk,  St.  Joseph,  Estopi- 
nal,  Oupelusas,  Clinton,  Donaldson- 
ville,  Jeanette,  Marksville,  Monroe, 
Natchitoches,  St.  Martinsville,  New 
Iberia,  Patterson,  Crowley,  Ellendale, 
Shreveport,  Magnolia  Plantation. 

Missouri — St.  Louis,  Norborne, 
Lexington,  Mahinton,  Bernard,  Dex- 
ter, Humphreys,  Kaytesville,  Perry, 
Sweetsprings,  Kansas  City,  Mexico, 
Sikeston,  Marshall,  Higginsville. 

Montana — Great  Falls,  Fort  Ben- 
ton,  Helena,  Stocket,  Marysville, 
Harlem,  Billings,  Craig,  Lewiston, 
Shelby  Junction. 

Minnesota — Crookston,  Pipestone, 
Red  Lake  Falls. 

Nevada — Reno. 

Nebraska — Hastings,  Gibbon,  He- 
bron, Creighton,  Fairmont,  Ravenna, 
Red  Cloud,  Syracuse,  Fairbury, 
Grand  Island,  Kearney,  Omaha,  Lin- 
coln, Osceola,  Brainard,  Norfolk, 
Aurora,  Crete,  St.  Paul,  Broken  Bow, 
Auburn,  Havelock,  Wahoo,  Fremont, 
Beaver  City. 

North  Dakota — Bismarck,  Ante- 
lope, Fessenden,  Carrington,  Grand 
Forks,  Fargo,  Mary  vi  lie,  Rolla, 
Jamestown,  Larimore. 

New  Mexico — Las  Vegas,  Raton, 
Roswell,  Deming,  Albuquerque, 
Aztec,  Las  Cruces,  Lordsburg,  Carls- 
bad, Santa  Fe. 

Oregon — Portland,  Eugene,  Salem, 
Pendleton,  Dallas,  The  Dalles,  Ash- 
land, Sumpter,  Roseburg,  Hood 
River,  Albany,  Medford,  Marshfield, 
North  Bend,  Forest  Grove,  Echo. 

Oklahoma  --  Blackwell,  Chandler, 
Kingfisher,  Watonga,  Okeene,  Guth- 
rie,  Edmund. 


Alaska— Circle  City,  Teller,  Skag- 
way. 

Arizona — Phoenix,  Tucson,  Bisbee, 
Winslow,  Solomonville,  Globe, 
Tempe,  Yuma. 

Arkansas — Little  Rock,  Paragould, 
Malvern. 

California — San  Francisco,  San 
Diego,  Stockton,  San  Jose,  Eureka, 
Redding,  Oroville,  Chico,  Marysville, 
Los  Angeles,  Willows,  Lompoo,  On- 
tario, Oakland,  West  Butfe,  Tulare, 
Selma,  Oxnard,  Dixon,  Alturas, 
Cedarville,  Canby,  Sacramento,  Red- 
lands,  San  Leandro. 

Colorado — Denver,  La  Junta,  Tel- 
luride,  Colorado  Springs,  Golden, 
Boulder,  Pueblo,  Greeley,  Leadville, 
Cripple  Creek,  Fort  Morgan,  Lamar, 
Trinidad,  Durango,  Victor,  Goldfield, 
Hugo.  Montrose. 

Iowa — Waterloo,  Des  Moines, 
Estherville,  Sac  City,  Malvern,  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  Fort  Madison,  Iowa  City, 
Sabula,  Hawarden,  Marshalltown, 
Oskaloosa,  Davenport,  Ottumwa,  Du- 
buque,  Charles  City,  Keokuk,  Perry, 
Spencer,  Emmetsburg,  Webster  City. 

Idaho — Grangeville,  Boise,  Lewis- 
ton,  Moscow,  Wallace,  Pocatello, 
Harrison,  Idaho  Falls,  St.  Anthony, 
Salmon,  Coeur  d'Alene,  Genessee, 
Blackfoot,  Montpelier,  Sand  Point. 

Indian  Territory — Chickasha,  Wag- 
goner. 

Kansas — Topeka,  Newton,  Effing- 
ham,  Garfield,  Phillipsburg,  Wichita, 
Manhattan,  Linwood.  Norton,  Ed- 
wardsville,  McPherson,  Russell,  Ker- 
win,  Abilene,  Dodge  City,  Chanute, 
Edna,  Leaven  worth.  Fort  Scott, 
Hutchinson,  Hoisington. 

.  Louisiana  —  Alexandria,  Ruston, 
New  Orleans,  Jackson,  Lake  Charles, 
Baton  Rouge,  Welch,  Stamboul, 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS. 


227 


South  Dakota — Aberdeen,  Woon- 
socket,  Huron,  Vermillion  Belle 
Fourche,  Pierre,  Desmet,  Spearfish, 
Whitewood. 

Texas— Fort  Worth,  Waco,  Gal- 
veston,  Houston,  El  Paso,  Dalhart, 
Beaumont. 

Utah— Salt  Lake  City,  Kaysville, 
Heber,  Ogden,  American  Forks, 
Manti,  Brigham,  Randolph,  Richfield, 
St.  George,  Vernal,  Logan. 


Washington — Davenport,  Tacoma, 
Spokane,  Pomeroy,  South  Bend, 
Vancouver,  Seattle,  Colfax,  Belling- 
ham,  Walla  Walla,  Cle  Elum,  Ho- 
quiam,  Puyallup,  Ellensburg,  North 
Yakima,  Montesano,  Centralia,  Olym- 
pia. 

Wyoming  —  Douglas,  Evanston, 
Buffalo,  Newcastle,  Green  River, 
Sundance,  Neeteetee,  Lander,  Ther- 
mopolis. 


The  following  counties  were  represented,  the  appointments  be- 
ing made  by  the  county  commissioners  and  the  county  judges : 


California — Oakland,  San  Bernar- 
dino, Siskiyou,  Modoc,  San  Diego, 
Redlands. 

Colorado — Denver,  Lincoln,  Teller, 
Prowers. 

Iowa — Hamilton,  Montgomery. 

Idaho — Owyhee. 

Kansas — Shawnee,  Wyandotte,  Jef- 
ferson. 

Missouri — Linn. 

Montana — Dillon,  Deer  Lodge,  Car- 
bon. 

Minnesota — Walker. 

Nevada — Washoe. 


Nebraska — Dixon,  Lincoln. 

New  Mexico — Grant,  Colfax. 
Santa  Fe. 

Oregon  —  Clatsop,  Washington, 
Douglas,  Umatilla,  Wallowa,  Harney. 

South  Dakota — Butte. 

Texas — Malagorda,  Navarro,  Pre- 
sidio, Freestone,  Jones. 

Utah  —  Salt  Lake,  Davis,  Utah, 
Weber,  Sanpete,  Rich,  Boxelder,  Se- 
vier,  Uintah,  Washington,  Summit. 

Washington  —  Thurston,  Walla 
Walla. 

Wyoming — Sweetwater  County. 


The  following  organizations  were  represented: 
CALIFORNIA. 


Board  of  Trade,  San  Bernardino. 

Board  of  Trade,  Ventura. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Los  An- 
geles. 

Board  of  Trade,  San  Leandro. 

Board  of  Trade,  Oakland. 

Merchants'  Exchange,  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Ship  Owners'  Association,  San 
Francisco. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  San  Diego. 

California  State  Board  of  Trade. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Eureka. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Riverside. 

River   Improvement   and   Drainage 


Association  of  California. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

California  State  Miners'  Associa- 
tion. 

Manufactures'  and  Producers'  As- 
sociation of  California. 

California  Promotion  Committee. 

Board  of  Trade,  Oxnard. 

Irrigation  Committee,  Modoc 
County. 

Board  of  Trade,  Redlands. 

Wholesale  Grocers'  Association. 
Los  Angeles. 


IDAHO 
Commercial  Club,  Lewiston. 

INDIAN  TERRITORY. 
Commercial  Club,  Paul's  Valley.  Commercial  Club,  Lehigh. 


228  REPORT  OF   PROCEEDINGS 

KANSAS. 

Commercial  Club,  Winfield.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Wichita. 

Commercial  Club,  Wichita.  Commercial  Club,  Topeka. 

Commercial  Club,  Fort  Scott.  Wellington  Commercial  Club. 
Commercial  Club,  La  Cygne. 

LOUISIANA. 

Cotton  Exchange,  New  Orleans.  Progressive  Union,  New  Orleans. 

COLORADO. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,   Denver.  Colorado   State   Commercial  As'so- 

Business  Men's  Association,  Pueblo  ciation. 

American.  Stock  Growers'  Associa-  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Colorado 

tion,  Denver.  Springs. 

American  Mining  Congress,  Den-  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Montrose. 
ver. 

IOWA. 
Commercial  Club,  Glenwood.  Commercial  Club,  Des  Moines. 

ILLINOIS. 

International    Harvester    Company. 

National  Business  League,  Chicago       of  America,  Chicago. 

MISSOURI. 

Commercial  Club,  Kansas  City.  Commercial  Club,  St.  Joseph. 

Latin-American  Club,  St.  Louis.  Merchants'  Exchange,  St.  Louis. 

Comercial  Club,  Mexico. 

MONTANA. 

Business      Men's      League,      Great       Falls. 

MINNESOTA. 

Commercial  Club,  St.  Paul.  Board  of  Trade,  Glenwood. 

NEBRASKA. 

Omaha  Board  of  Trade.  Commercial  Club,  Fairmont. 

Soldiers'  and   Sailors'  Home,   Mil-  Real  Estate  Exchange,  Omaha, 

ford.  Commercial  Club,  Omaha. 

Missouri  River  Improvement  Asso-  Commercial  Club.  Auburn, 
ciation,   Omaha. 

NEW  MEXICO. 

Board  of  Trade,  Santa  Fe.  Roswell  Commercial  Club,  Roswell. 

OREGON. 

Portland  Commercial  Club.  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition  Corn- 
Portland    Manufacturers'    Associa-  mission  of  Oregon, 
tion.  Board   of   Trade,    Portland. 

Development  League  of  Weston.  Travelers'    Protective    Association, 

Cottage  Grove  Commercial  Club.  Portland.                            > 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI    COMMERCIAL    CONGRESS.  229 

OREGON— Continued. 

Salem  Commercial  Club.  Lake  County  Development  League, 

Oregon  Development  League,  Kla-  Lakeview. 
math  Falls.  Ontario  Development  League. 

Board  of  Trade,  Lebanon  Board  of  Trade,  Hillsboro. 

Eugene  Commercial  Club.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Astoria. 

Citizens'  League  of  Benton  County.          Board  of  Trade,  Forest  Grove. 

McMinnville  Development  League.  Albany  Commercial  Club. 

Oregon  Development  League,    Eu-          Citizens'  Association,  Echo, 
gene.  North  Bend  Commercial  Club. 

Board  of  Trade,  Oregon  City. 

OKLAHOMA. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Oklahoma 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  El  Reno.          City. 

TEXAS. 

Maritime  Association  of  Galveston.  Cotton    Exchange,    Houston. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Beaumont.          Houston  Business  League. 
Progressive  League,  Orange.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Galveston. 

Galveston    Deep    Water    Commis- 
sion. 

UTAH. 

Commercial  Club,   Salt  Lake   City.       Association. 

Blue    Creek    Land    and    Livestock          Weber  Club,  Ogden. 

WASHINGTON. 

National  Business  League,  Spo-  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Belling- 

kane.  ham. 

Board  of  Trade,  Davenport.  Board  of  Trade,  Puyallup 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Spokane.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Seattle. 

Tacoma  Chamber  of  Commerce  American  Mining  Congress,  Hon. 

and  Board  of  Trade.  J.  H.  Richards,  Boise,  Idaho,  presi- 


The  other  organizations  represented  were  as  follows: 

United  States  Export  Association  dent;   J.    F.    Galbreath,  Jr.,   Denver, 

of  New  York,  Hon.  F.  B.  Thurber,  Colo.,  secretary. 

president.  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  As- 
National  Irrigation  Association,  C.  sociation,  Hon.  David  R.  Francis, 

B.  Boothe,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  execu-  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  president. 

tive  chairman.  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition  Asso- 

National  Irrigation  Congress,  Hon.  ciatipn,  H.  W.  Goode,  Portland,  Or., 

Geo.  C.  Pardee,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  president. 

president;    Tom    Richardson,    Port-  Bureau     of    American     Republics, 

land,  Ore.,  secretary.  Wm.  C.  Fox,  Washington,  D.  C.,  di- 

National  Immigration  Congress,  rector. 

Denver,  Colo.  Interior  Department,  United 

Pacific  Coast  Lumber  Manufactur-  States,  Hon.  Barry  Bulkley,  lecturer. 

ers'  Association. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Addresses—  Page. 

Rufus  P.  Jennings  • 13 

Theo.    B.    Wilcox    14-16-40-45 

Geo.  E.  Chamberlain,  Governor 17-19 

Albert  E.  Mead,  Governor 19-20 

H.  W.  Goode 21 

Hon.  Charles  W.   Fulton 22 

H.    M.    Cake 23 

W.  D.  Wheelwright   24-25 

G.  W.  Allen  25 

Hon.  Geo.  C.  Pardee,  Governor 26 

Hon.  John  L.  Noble 27-28-142-152 

Hon..  L.  Bradford  Prince 28-29 

Hon.    John    E.    Frost 29-30 

Major  W.  C.  Langfitt 37-40 

Hon.  John   Barrett    45-50 

Hon.  F.  B.  Thurber 51-57 

Geo.  W.  Dickie    60-70 

Benj.  C.  Wright  73-77 

Hon.  J.  H.  Richards  78-87 

Hon.  David  R.   Francis 89-94 

P.  J.  Loggie   95-100 

Mr.  P.  J.  van  Loben  Sels   103-110 

Col.  T.  Wain-Morgan  Draper 110-117 

E.   H.   Benjamin    118-124 

Dr.   Roland   D.   Grant 121-132 

Barry   Bulkley    140-141 

John    T.    Burns 154-155-156-157 

Hon.  T.  T.  Crittenden   155-156-157-158 

C.  F.  Saylor   157 

Gen.  E.  A.  Williams 156 

Hon.  Ed  F.  Harris 169-170 

Col.  Fred  W.  Fleming. 175-176 

T.  W.  Tomlinson 179-189 

Hon.  Henry  T.  Clarke   189-192 

Dr.    James    Withycombe. 193-195 

Frank  W.  Hibbs   .....: 195-200 

Randall    H.    Kemp 200-203 

Col.  H.  D.   Loveland   202-205-209 

Hon.  L.  Bradford  Prince 203 

J.  F.  Callbreath   204 

Al'aska 30-200-203 

American    Scenery 121-132 

By- Laws   and  rules    5-7 

Brady,  Hon.  John  G.... 30 

By-Laws,  revision  of '. . . . '. 32 


234  INDEX 

Page. 

Barrett,  Hon.  John 45-50 

Benjamin,    E.    H 118-124 

Boothe,  C.  B 124 

Bulkley,    Barry 140-141 

Call,   official 8-9 

Congress,  recommendations   to  national 10-12 

Chamberlain,   Hon.   Geo.   E.,  address 17-19 

Cake,  President  H.  M.,  address 24-25 

Congress,  past  sessions    •      2 

Consular  service,  resolution 94 

Coos  Bay  Harbor  95-100 

Commerce,  College  of 102 

Cripple  Creek,  communication  from 139 

Clarke,  Mr.  H.  T 140-189-192 

Commerce  and   Labor,   Department  of 142-152 

Commercial  development;  experiment  stations  a  factor  in 193-195 

Crittenden,  Hon.  T.  T 155-156-157-158 

Callbreath,  J.   F 204 

Congress,  representation  in  the 215-229 

organization   in   the 227-229 

states  represented  in  the * 226 

cities  represented  in  the 227-228 

counties   represented   in   the 227 

Dickie,  Geo.  W.,  address   60-70 

Department  of  Mines   78 

Des   Moines  Mississippi  dam. 87 

Donovan,  J.  J.,  resolution 102 

Draper,   Col.   T.   Wain-Morgan 110-117 

Department   of   Commerce   and    Labor 142-152 

Differentials  favoring  Pacific  coast,  necessity  for 195-200 

Delegates,   list  of    211-225 

Experiment   stations    193-195 

Fulton,  Hon.  Chas.  W.,  address 22 

Francis,  Hon.  D.  R 89-94-152 

Forestry  law,  repeal  of 102 

Francis,  Arthur  F 134-140-152 

Fleming,   Col.  Fred  W 159 

Goode,  President  H.  W.,  address 21 

Greely,  General  A.  W.,  letter 30-31 

Galveston,  sea  wall  protection  for 101 

Grant,  Dr.  Roland   D 121-132 

Harris,  Ed  F 101-102-103 

Hawkins,  Jr.,  E.  A 101 

Hill,   Senator,   Colorado    102 

Hibbs,   Frank  W 195-200 

Invocation    13 

Immigration,  resolution    103 


INDEX  235 

Page. 

Irrigation  Congress,  National   124-204 

Immigration,  debate  on  161-179 

Jennings,  Ruf us  P 13 

Kerens,  Hon.  R.  C 72 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  selection  of 153-159 

Kemp,    Randall    H 200-203 

Letters,  Hon.  R.  C.  Kerens   72 

Gen.  A.  W.  Greely  30 

Loggie,   P.   J 95-100 

Livestock  interests  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  region 179-189 

Loveland,  Col.  H.  D 202-205-209 

Mead,  Hon.  Albert  E.,  address   19-20 

Maher,  Mr.,  resolution   94 

Mines,    Department    of 59-78-87 

argument  for 118-124 

Marine,  The  Merchant,  address 60-70 

resolution    102 

Mines  and  mining  and  the  necessity  for  an  United  States  depart- 
ment therefor   110-117 

Missouri  river  and  other  waterways  and  ports 189-192 

Noble,    Hon.    John    W 27-28-32-94-142-152 

New  Mexico,  statehood  for   59 

Neal,   Dr.    Geo.   P.,  resolution    87 

Naval  construction  Pacific  coast,  preferential  in .193-195-199 

"Oriental  Trade"  addresses 40-45-50 

Organization,    Committee   on   Permanent 34-35 

Orient,  trade  with  the  51-57 

Oklahoma  and  Indian  Territory  94 

Pardee,  Hon.  Geo.  C.,  address  26 

Prince,  Hon.  L.  Bradford  28-29-32-59-203 

Permanent   organization,   report   on    152 

Place  of  meeting,  cities  named — 

Denver    153 

Kansas    City,    Mo 155-156 

Bismarck,   N.   D 156 

Des  Moines,  la 157 

Salt  Lake  City 157 

Pacific  coast,  shipbuilding  on 195-200 

Permanent  members,  roll  of 211-213 

Roster,  official    3-4 

Richards,  Hon.  J.  H 78-87 

Roosevelt,  Message  to  President   95 

Richardson,   Tom    95-132-133 

Rivers  and  Harbors,  Improvement  of,  address 103-110 

River  improvements,  bond  issue  for 140 

Report,  Arthur  F.  Francis,  secretary 134-141 

Permanent  organization   152 

Committee  on   Resolutions    159-161-179 


236  INDEX 

Page. 

Resolutions    10-12 

Committee   on 33-34 

Department  of  Mines   59 

Statehood  for  New  Mexico 59 

Appropriations    for    California 59 

Des  Moines  Mississippi  Dam  87 

Consular  Service   94 

Oklahoma  and  Indian  Territory  94 

Coos  Bay  Harbor 95 

Sea  Wall  Protection  at  Galveston   101 

Repeal  of  Forestry  Law 102 

Reclamation  of  the  Arid  West 102 

Reservoirs  for  Flood  Waters 102 

An  American  Merchant  Marine    102 

College  of  Commerce   102 

Immigration    103 

Columbia  River   132-133 

Bond  Issue  for  River  Improvements 140 

Thanks  to  the  Press 179 

Debate    on    161-179 

Sacramento  Valley   59 

San  Joaquin  River   59 

Sels,  P.  J.  van  Loben 59-103-110 

Sea  wall  protection  for  Galveston   101 

Telegram  to  President  Roosevelt 95 

from  Governor  J.  F.  McDonald,  Colorado 154 

from  Governor  E.  Y.  Sarles,  North  Dakota 154 

from  Hon.  R.  W.  Speer,  Denver 154 

from  Denver   Hotel  Association    154 

from  National  Fire   Insurance  Agents   154 

from  Fraternal   Order   Eagles    153 

from  John    G.    Brady 30 

Thurber,  Hon.  F.  B 51-57 

Tomlinson,  T.  W.,  address   179-189 

Vice-Presidents,  honorary 35-36 

Wilcox,  Theo.  B.,  address 14-16-40 

Wheelwright,  W.  D.,  address 24-25 

"West  The,  the  Best,"  address '.'. 73-77 

Whitmore,  H.  R. 102 

Withycombe,  Dr.  James    193-195 

Yellowstone    National    Park  ..140-141 


THE  CONVENTION  CITY 


ftortlattfc, 


IKE  a  gem  in  the  midst  of  surroundings  the  most 
attractive  to  be  found  anywhere,  Portland  with 
mountains  and  rivers,  has  a  setting  the  lustre  of 
which  shines  an  ever  radiant  welcome  to  those  seeking 
a  home.  In  her  splendid  future  Portland  has  no  equal. 
She  stands  as  an  open  gate,  the  natural  highway  to  the 
Orient,  over  which  does  pass,  and  will  continue  to  pass, 
an  ever  increasing  volume  of  trade.  At  home  the  re- 
sources of  Portland  are  illimitable.  She  is  already  the 
financial  and  trade  center  of  the  Pacific  Northwest,  and 
there  is  no  section  of  the  country  which  offers  greater 
inducements  to  capital. 

Portland,  "The  Rose  City/'  has 

Bank  deposits,  exceeding  $40,000,000.00. 

207  miles  of  city  and  suburban  lines. 

Population,  145,250. 

Water  supply  inexhaustible,  absolutely  pure  &  soft. 

Scenic  situation  unmatched  on  the  great  American 
Continent. 

Metropolis  of  the  Pacific  Northwest. 

Only  fresh  water  harbor  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

Libraries,  schools,  churches  and  hospitals  of  the 
highest  standard. 

Has  finest  summer  climate  in  the  world.  Coldest 
weather  in  winter  of  1904-5  was  17  degrees  above  zero. 

FOR  INFORMATION  ADDRESS 

PORTLAND  COMMERCIAL  CLUB 

TOM  RICHARDSON,  Manager 


